Holding Destiny With Your Own Two Hands
by MKofGod
Summary: “There is a scroll. It has a jutsu that can stop this from happening. You can go back in time. You can change all this.” The remnants of Konoha strive to change not only their history, but many other tragedies as well. MinaKushi but otherwise Genfic
1. Crumbling to Dust

Updated Chapter since 3/16/08

Hey All! This is the new Beta'd first chapter of Holding Destiny. PheonixClaw did an amazing job (thank you) and I hope this chapter is a much funner read.

This story is rated T because of Violence. There is some implied swearing but it is edited out by the symbol '--.'

I am not a professional writer, by I want to be. What does this mean? Please review. I do pay attention to what reviewers say, so if you see something that clickes wrong, tell me! I love feedback, both positive and negative, and people who give constructive critisim will be whole heartedly thanked!

Thank you for reading!

* * *

The attack was not unexpected.

Konoha had been at war with Sound for two years now, and both sides knew it was past time for someone to make a move. Sure, there had been innumerous skirmishes, countless sabotages, the words _guerrilla warfare_ weren't just a topic for conversation, and the casualty list was in the high thousands for both sides. Still, there had been no full out army against army battles of epic nature since the one that started this bloody war.

Thus, when Jiraiya's spy network picked up word of an all-or-nothing attack the Sannin rushed back with all due haste, not even stopping at one of the numerous bath houses along the way.

This was something he complained long and hard about with much vehemence in the following days.

Less than thirty minutes after the report arrived, Konoha had stepped up her defenses. With the use of some well-placed earth jutsu her walls were fortified. Oil vats were placed along the walls to pour out on the enemy below. Torches were scattered around to light up the oil, while spikes jutted out from the walls - big enough to prevent walking up the impediment, small enough to keep one from using as ladders.

While there had been no huge attacks, the smaller, combined attacks of Akatsuki and Orochimaru had dwindled their numbers forcing Konoha to cut short free time, rest days, and to extend shifts to make up for it. Yet in spite of this, her guard was increased even more. But no one really complained. Two years had stretched them all thin.

The Akimichi Clan was put in charge of gathering and hoarding the remaining food. Supplies, already rationed because of the war, were slimmed down, and things such as chocolate or milk became luxuries. People were given quick energy raisers and things such as grain and bread to keep up their strength. Meat was almost unheard of while Ramen became quite popular.

Under the watchful eyes of Jounin Haruno Sakura and the Hokage's Handmaiden, Shizune, medical supplies were gathered at a rapid speed. For two days working from sun up to sun down the medics gathered all the herbs in their greenhouses, concentrating on the blood-clotting herbs and nicotine. Bandages were made and after careful calculation, the doctors spent time ripping up the bed sheets for more. Even towels were shredded. Water was drawn from the river and set to boil. Fires were stoked so that when the need would arise the wounds of the injured could be treated quickly.

Sakura, a renowned anti-venom specialist, spent a lot of time ordering various antidotes made according to Sound's Modo de Operandis. As the medic in charge of the hospital, Sakura quickly became pale as time out of the sun, not to mention the shortage of sleep, took its toll. Finally Sai and Naruto marched her to her apartment - a small three roomed place set on the fifth story - and spent the night there to make sure she actually slept.

The Nara Clan was responsible for planning 200 strategies as the Hokage wanted to be prepared for any and every situation. There was not a time of day when some Nara or the other was coming up with an idea to be looked over, criticized, questioned, and then rejected. Nara Shikamaru, a special Jounin (because he was far too lazy to become anything more) was heard complaining loudly and enthusiastically (for him) that he was only getting five hours of sleep instead of his normal fourteen, and he was working constantly; his cloud watching time was drastically cut down and who started these stupid wars anyway?

Training was stepped up and the grounds were not empty be it day or night. There was always someone at the training fields, be it Jounins, Chuunins or Genin teams; everyone was ordered to log time.

Three people in particular spent the majority of their time there.

Jounin Rock Lee, an A almost S rank nin who was also known as the Konoha Sempur was the first and foremost of these three. Lee, tall, lankly, and easily reaching past the seven foot mark, dressed in a loose green outfit and dark hair logged fourteen hours a day non stop. Occasionally the time log went up to eighteen hours a day. However, no one raised their eyebrows as the Jounin's habits were well known. When Lee wasn't training by himself, he was generally training with his team or with other teams that would come to him for advice. Despite Lee's known eccentric antics, he was the best person to go to if you wanted to learn quickly and efficiently.

Inuzuka Kiba, a Jounin marked as an 'A' rank, also known as Wolf Rider was the second fervent trainer. He logged thirteen hours regularly, and he would most likely have logged more, but Kiba had to take care of his pack, after all. He wasn't the head of his clan, but his mother's injuries had rendered her incapable, to put it tactfully, and Kiba had been saddled with a lot of responsibility. Tsume had been attacked and mauled by the Sound-Nin who had decided that it would be crueler to let her live and so had placed her in a position to be found by Konoha. Several blunt objects to the head had caused severe brain damage and swelling, so by the time she awoke she wasn't the person she used to be. After it became apparent that Inuzuka Tsume wouldn't be able to lead the clan through this war, Kiba's older sister Hana had stepped forward. However, Hana was still considered very young to be a clan leader and soon Kiba found himself with a shoulder full of responsibility as he tried to juggle helping his clan, running more difficult missions for the village, _and_ working with his team.

The last ninja to book an unbelievable about of time was one Uzumaki Naruto, S rank Jounin, whose nick-names were as diverse and random as the ninja himself, though he was listed in the Bingo Book as the Fuuton Rasen, having been named after his favorite technique. At the age of eighteen, almost nineteen, Uzumaki Naruto was the chosen replacement for the Godaime. Two and a half years of training, followed by months of searching for and at times rescuing friends closely followed by the two year war had matured him a lot. True, he was still very carefree, but Tsunade had noted a growing responsibility in the boy, especially when it came to his duties. The Jounin was hero worshiped by the younger generation, who spurred on by the stories from the Konohamaru Corps, had looked at him with awe filled eyes ever since he had returned from the training. These rumors and stories had only grown after Naruto rescued the Kazekage and managed to infiltrate Orochimaru's lair, despite his failure to retrieve Sasuke. By the time he had finished with Akatsuki, Naruto was almost a legend to the academy students and new genins. Even among the newest Chuunin's he was held in awe.

Of course, most of the Konoha Twelve were considered an elite branch of Ninja who had been worthy enough to do so many great things that they were considered almost on par with demi-gods, much to Iruka's amusement. No matter how much acknowledgement his students got, he would always see them as the runny-nosed punks who were perpetually skipping class.

Two weeks dragged on, and Jiraiya soon received the news that Orochimaru was on his way. Konoha sat tense and prepared, as inside her walls the shinobi sharpened their tools.

They expected a large army.

They expected casualties.

They knew the destruction of buildings was inevitable.

But none of them expected...

This.

* * *

_Front Gate Wall_

_12:15_

Naruto, Jounin, future Rokudaime, and platoon leader stood upon the reinforced walls of his village. Blue eyes, which some swore actually glowed at night, scanned the woods below. Keen eyes, sharpened by the mixture of two chakras easily picked up the shapes and shadows of men and a sharp nose was able to detect the scent of dry grass. He snarled. The moon, a small sliver pinned up in the sky, illuminated his face, highlighting blond hair, tanned skin and sharp red-flecked blue eyes. _They're here._ He thought darkly, and he licked his lips in anticipation. Already he could feel the churning of chakra inside of him, storming like the wind he was so well known for controlling. It raged and pounded, the bloodlust of his resident mixing with his own anxiety.

A hand, small but calloused, landed on his shoulder. He turned around to see Sakura watching him. Her heart-shaped face was shrouded in darkness, but his keen eyes easily made out her expression; eyebrows curved upwards. Her green eyes, practically glowing despite the darkness, were worried. Behind her, standing nonchalantly, Kakashi stood with his face buried in a book, not seeming to care that the village's greatest enemy was marshaled outside their walls, while Sai, whose face was blank, stood with his head cocked. He noiselessly walked over and put a foot on the ledge, leaning forward.

"Well, well, well…" He cooed, sounding amused. "Look who's here!" Sai turned to Naruto, the smile playing on his mouth. "What's the plan, oh great and fearless leader?"

Naruto growled, his eyes sparking red glow. "We'll send them back to Sound with their tails between their legs!"

* * *

_Weapons District 3_

"Sai, duck!"

Sakura's scream warned the dark haired boy, and, bending his knees sharply, he ducked as a blade passed through where his head had been. Sai cocked an eyebrow as he glanced at the two Sound-Nins positioned before and behind him. Strange, he only remembered engaging one. Sai resisted the urge to sigh.

"Calling for reinforcements? You coward!" Sai almost grinned. Then, in a blur of black cloth and hair, he disappeared.

The Sound-Nins gasped.

"Where'd he go?" The swordsman spun around, his sword outstretched before him. The other man glanced nervously around, looking over his shoulder twice just to make sure that the stray cat which emerged triumphantly from the garbage, prized fish bone in mouth, wasn't the painter.

Then, like lighting from above, Sai flew down, his katana already drawn. He sliced one man on the descent, his blade going through the neck and shoulder as he landed in a crouch. Resting his weight on his right foot and balancing on his toes and a hand, he swept his left foot around and tripped the second nin. When the Sound-Nin was on the ground, the cool silver blade slammed through his chest and heart, killing him instantly.

Blood trailed on the ground, its slow, thick, curling patterns almost making a design as it ran down the cracks between tiles.

Sai looked at the bodies solemnly, his eyes dull. For once a smile was absent from his face and his lips almost seemed to be turned down. At that moment, he almost seemed sad, it that were possible. Then, as if a mask had settled over his face, he smiled. "Too slow! Bakas!" His face became somber once again. "Gomenasai." He bowed to the bodies, and after using one man's shirt to clean his blade, he turned away. There were other battles to fight and no time to pity the dead.

* * *

_Weapons District 3_

Sakura grunted as she slammed into the wall behind her. This was just not her day! The man in front of her was strong, his muscle strength being equal to her chakra enforced punch. Almost. However, Sakura noted, he was stupid and slow. Several times she was almost at his mercy, but he had let her go, perhaps not even noticing her vulnerability. Sakura snorted. She must be getting tired to be getting whacked by this tub of lard.

Of course, she reminded herself, she had been fighting steadily for ten hours. Ten hours of genjustsu, taijutsu, and medical jutsu, with a little ninjutsu sprinkled for flavor. Ten hours of keeping her team in line. Ten hours of watching Sai's back and worrying about Naruto and Kakashi. Ten hours of watching comrades die. Sakura tactfully ignored the annoying voice that sounded a lot like Sai which was telling her that girls half her age were keeping up better than this, and she must be getting old. Sakura stood up. She was so gonna kick this fat tub's butt, and then she was gonna go get a refresher! _Oh yeah, that sounds good_. Sakura placed her fists in a street fighter position, with her feet spread apart slightly and her hands in loose fists, and moved forward.

The big man laughed. "Weak! You're so weak! You think a little thing like you can go against the Rock!" The man looked her over. Sakura sighed mentally, deciding that she really couldn't blame the man for calling her that after the way she had been fighting. However, if he said what he was thinking, she wouldn't forgive him.

"Oi! You're a pretty thing! Why don't you come with me back to Sound! I'll even let you live as part of the deal." Sakura flushed. _He said it! I can't believe he said it! He's old enough to be my dad! Ew!_

"Shut up! You think I'm going to become your little whore? Think again!" Sakura sprang forward, her eyes glinting. "First of all, I'm not that kind of girl! Second of all, who would do _that_ with you?"

The man reddened in anger. How dare this little… little -- talk to him like that! He would show her! Reaching out he grabbed her extended hand, swung around two times to get momentum, and flung her to the far wall. Smirking in smug satisfaction, he didn't notice the small slips of paper falling at his feet, nor the girl landing in a crouch against the wall. Her fingers came up in a seal and she sprang over the man, her white coat streaming behind her. Shuriken were hurled at him as Sakura gave a sharp, "Kai!"

The mini explosives detonated and the big man howled as his feet were blown from under him. His distraction cost him his life as the shuriken embedded itself deep into his skull.

Sakura landed on the ground upright, her coat brushing against her heels. She sighed tiredly, rubbing her shoulder. "Eh. That took far too long. Four minutes! Bah!" She spat out a mouthful of blood and dirt and pulled off a white glove. "I must be getting old. Or rusty." She paused, her face screwed up in thought for a second, her hand frozen in the middle of shaking out her glove. "Rusty. Definitely rusty." Slipping on the glove again, and slapping her hands together, she nodded firmly as she turned around.

Only to duck away from the fist flying at her.

The punch landed in the wall, smashing brick and mortar. Tile crashed against the road and shattered. Sakura pushed chakra to her feet and jumped into the air over the other kunoichi. She released her last batch of explosive slips, only for a kwarmi no jutsu to carry the enemy away from danger. Sakura swore. That had been her last batch, and those things were expensive.

She landed, her eyes darting this way and that, chakra senses extended fully. And then she was flying, her cheek stinging from the fist that had implanted itself on her face. She hit the ground rolling, her training kicking in as she let herself roll to a standstill. Slowly, the pink haired teenager pushed herself onto her knees and looked up. Her eyes darkened. She knew that punch.

"Youruchi." Venom dripped off the word, and Sakura's green eyes flashed killer intent.

The green haired kunoichi grinned. "Hello. --."

* * *

Sai paused, his brush still on the piece of parchment. That chakra. He spun, his previous enemy quickly vanquished by the two flying eagles he had summoned. "Sakura!" He spotted her, her pink hair making her quite distinctive against the force of brown and black haired shinobi separating them. Eyes scanned her location, spotting her opponent easily. "Youruchi!"

Youruchi was a Sound-Nin, one of Orochimaru's elite, and a chosen replacement for the Sound Four. Almost two years ago, on a raid to retrieve enemy plans, she and Sakura had met in a clash of legendary scale. Both girls had similar pasts, similar fighting styles and similar "loves." Naruto had once semi-jokingly stated that they were each other's dark sides brought to life. However, even this had a serious undertone. Sai knew that none of Team Kakashi would forget when Sakura had snapped, becoming nothing more than a twisted, darker image of her former self. In that time, nearly everyone had despaired of her returning to the Sakura they knew, and it had taken every ounce of two blonds' optimism for her to shatter that side of her. Sai knew that even now Sakura feared reverting to the monster she had become. As he grimly watched the two shinobi pound each other, Sai sent up a silent prayer to anyone who was listening.

"Be careful. Old Hag."

* * *

It was a clash of titans. Fists demolished stone and wood, and bodies were thrown high into the air, only to be sent back to earth with resounding kicks. Chakra scalpels cut tendons, muscles, and organs, while healing hands mended them just as fast. Taunts, curses and blood filled the air and dust, kicked up in the scuffle, made breathing hard. Sakura landed, her hair blowing around her face, having come loose from the senbon she used to pin it up. Her opponent was getting angry, and Sakura, knowing after years of dealing with her rival, knew that when Youruchi got angry one of two things happened: she got careless, or she became more cunning. It was a gamble Sakura was taking, and she prayed that her luck was better than her Shishou's.

The leaf nin's eyes narrowed and she disappeared. Youruchi hissed. "Running away again? Coward! You're a disgrace to the ninja name!"

Silence… Youruchi spun on her heals, her eyes flitting over the rubble.

And then the missing-nin felt pain rip through her chest, spreading like fire to her lungs. She gagged and blood colored the already stained tiles. Sakura, sunk halfway into the ground with a rock jutsu, had pushed a well placed chakra scalpel in Youruchi's chest. Rising quickly so as to catch Youruchi off guard, she swung her fist and punched the enemy nin into the air. Leaping after her, Sakura drove her heel into Youruchi's solar plexus. The missing nin "oofed" and went crashing back to earth. As she lay there, stunned, Sakura, her green eyes glistening in anticipation, picked up a rather large rafter, fully intending to crush her rival where she lay.

Youruchi, reading Sakura's intentions, threw her head back and laughed darkly. Sakura froze, eyes wide.

"Ooo!!" Youruchi chuckled, "The little blossom has grown some fangs! Or is it thorns…" She glanced up, her brown eyes narrowed in amusement. "Going dark are we? Saakkuuraa-_chan_."

* * *

_Front Gate_

Team Eight, previously known as Team Kurenai until their sensei was killed in an attack soon after her lover's death, stood ready at the gate of the city. Surprisingly, the gate hadn't been attacked yet except for in small forces. Indeed, it had been decided that this was the place that was least attacked, and thus, many of the tired troops were being sent here to rest up. Team Eight was on their second round. However, Hinata, tall and willowy her form the envy of many women, watched apprehensively. It looked like their well deserved rest was going to be cut short.

Kiba was astride his mighty, gigantic dog, Akamaru, who was even larger than two years previously. Kiba still claimed that he couldn't see it, after which Naruto had _politely_ suggested that he go to Sakura to get his eyes checked. The dark-haired boy grinned savagely as he watched the approaching Sound-Nin. "Oi! Shino! You getting this? Let's make a bet! Whoever gets the most Sound-Nin wins! And Looser has to buy the winner sake for a month!" He laughed uproariously. Shino sighed, his bugs buzzing quietly. "This would be childish. Instead we should focus on our job. Setting foolish goals of short term work such as this is something only Genin's would do. And also, I do not drink sake. Instead, if I win, you buy Hinata and I a free meal."

"Whaat!" Kiba protested. "Do I look like I'm made of money to you?" He grinned. "You're on!"

Hinata watched her teammates-turned-brothers in amusement. She knew very well what Shino was doing. Kiba, for all his good points, was hot-headed and sometimes easily unfocused on real goals. Something like this would aid him in staying clear-headed. Especially with such a large amount of money on the line.

The war had been going on for two years. Sieges, sabotages, a decrease in shipping, and the sheer number of villagers no longer planting and growing food had cut down the food supply to the bare minimum. Despite the Akimichi family's best efforts, only a small percentage of the warehouses in Konoha were full. Food had become more valuable than gold.

On the other hand, sake had thrived. Sake dulled hunger, warmed you on cold nights. It was cheep and easy to find. You could share sake, while food was hoarded. For one plate of food, you could buy fourteen bottles of sake. Thus, Hinata thought in amusement, Kiba's distress over Shino's bargain. Food for three was a small fortune, nowadays.

Silver eyes, large and luminescent zeroed into the suddenly close enemy nin. Shapely eyebrows curved downwards. "Kiba! Shino." The boys stopped their playful bickering, instantly becoming alert. It was time.

Blood filled the air.

* * *

_Residential Area 16_

Naruto growled, his frustration and impatience getting the best of him, before he kicked off the wall where he sat, perpendicular to the ground, and flung himself at the two twin Sound-Nin. His hand was stiffly outstretched; the wind running across the sides of his fingers forming a sharp blade. With two swipes he had pierced one man's heart, and cut through the lungs of the other. The enemy fell to the ground as Naruto landed in a kneel, his black and orange trench coat billowing behind him before settling on the ground like a train. However, not six seconds had passed before the men were on their feet again.

Naruto swore darkly. "Why can't you just die!"

"Now," Began one, his brown eyes twinkling merrily. A smile played around his mouth.

"Why would we," Continued the other, his long, shoulder length brown hair twisting around him.

"Do something as stupid as that!" They chorused, lifting their knives.

"Now you on the other hand…" The first one trailed off suggestively. That was definitely a smirk.

Naruto could have sworn again, but he settled for hissing. He abruptly back flipped onto his feet and changed stances so that his weight was balanced on the balls of his feet, which were widespread apart, so that his shoulders were straight and upright. His hand moved rapidly: _Tiger, boar, dragon, horse, tiger._ The wind picked up and began to spin around him. Leaves and dirt lifted as the tornado tore into the ground. It spun around the blond, the sand staying away from him as if hitting an invisible shield "Fuuton: Kaze Kansei: Wind trap!"

The wind _moved_.

It circled around the brothers, trapping them inside, cutting them with the dirt and chakra-charged leaves whenever they tried to move. Dust attacked their eyes, stung against bare skin. Leaves, charged with chakra so as to be as sharp as razors cut glancing blows into their torso, arms and legs, ripping their skin and clothes to shreds.

Naruto, his own clothing battered by the wind, reached out a hand. "Fuuton: Kaze Touken: Wind Swords." The wind, still circling the brothers like a cyclone, reached out and pierced them like a thousand blades. It caught their bodies as they fell and sent them flying in opposite directions. One brother managed to stay conscious long enough to glance at his twin, horror, dread and dismay filling his face. However, his strength soon gave out and he collapsed into the dust.

After two minutes, and they still didn't return to their feet, Naruto relaxed. He slumped slightly, and moved backwards to lean against the nearby wall. Twins. Brothers. Why did _he_ always get stuck with the emotion provoking enemies? Sakura never got trapped with six year old killing machines, or confused teens in their rebellious years! Kakashi never had to face revenge-obsessed idiots who thought Orochimaru could give them power!

Okay, except for Sasuke, but he didn't count. At least, he consoled himself, they had died together. He turned away. One step, two steps, three steps… Dodge the knife. The Future Rokudaime hurled himself into a summersault. He came up running. Chakra filled feet carried him up a wall and helped him fling himself over the brother's heads to land behind them.

"That,"

"Was very,"

"Very,"

"Mean, little shinobi." The brothers were angry. Well, at least he had gotten an emotion other than amusement, Naruto noted, pleased with himself. The next second he was scowling again. Kuso! How had they survived? Naruto had aimed at every single vital spot.

"You nearly killed him!" One brother growled. This gave the blond haired Jounin a pause. Why would he be so upset? Why was he so worried? Could he use it to beat them? Did it relate to their survival? It couldn't be… Unless… He felt like hitting himself. Muttering curses, some of which made the brother on the right raise an eyebrow, he glanced over at them.

"What are your names?" He asked, even while getting ready for his next attack. The brothers were taken aback.

"Names?" One repeated, glancing at the other. "Why would a _Leaf _Shinobi be interested in this? We are tools, all of us. We have no need for names." Naruto paused.

"You don't have a name?" His eyes softened. _monster, idiot, dobe! Oni_ - "No one should be without a name."

–_! Demon. You! You there!-_

The brother on the left scowled. "We are merely Orochimaru's experiments, tools at his disposal! Names are unnecessary. Names cause attachments." However, Naruto noticed sadly that he seemed unconvinced of what he was saying, as if he were simply repeating something said a hundred times before and desperately trying to believe it.

"Do you really think that? Or is that just something Orochimaru told you?" Naruto was beginning to regret starting this conversation. Better to keep to taunts or insults. Better to not sympathize. Better to not have feelings of compassion. "How old are you?"

This time the brother on the right answered. "Why do you want to know? This will give you no advantage over us!"

In fact, Naruto didn't know _why_ he was doing this. To prove a point? To try to _convert_ some Sound-Nin? To understand? "It wouldn't give an advantage." Naruto replied seriously. "However," He smiled brightly, "I have a friend who you remind me of. I guess, I just want to see if…" He stopped, deciding that this type of conversation would get him no where. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I'm eighteen, almost nineteen, and hopefully, I'm gonna be Hokage!" Naruto laughed, savoring the confusion on the brothers' faces. "I guess I should name you, huh? Well…" He glanced between them. "You, on the right. I guess that mark on your face isn't gonna heal, so…" The brother, startled reached up a hand to touch his face, his eyes showing a hint of fear. "I'll call you…Zenato." Zenato's eyes became wide. Boy kids sure startled easily! Naruto turned away. "And your twin… Well… I guess you oppose to the term Teme… so… Nashiato!" Both brothers exchanged looks.

"What are you trying to do?" They chorused.

"Name you," Naruto answered nonchalantly, putting his hands behind his head.

"And why are you doing that?" They deadpanned.

Naruto paused and glanced at them, his gaze piercing and unreadable. "Because no one should go through life or death without a name. Now," He straightened and grinned cheerfully. "Let's see how you survive decapitation, shall we?"

* * *

_Residential Area 14_

Kakashi glanced up from the dead bodies of his enemies to see Naruto strolling toward him. "Oh? Finally finished? It took you longer than usual."

"Shut up. What's your status? Are you injured?" Kakashi stared at him. "What?" Naruto rubbed an arm across his cheek. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No…" Kakashi smiled sheepishly. "It's just strange to hear you sound intelligent."

"Oh!" Naruto rolled his eyes and nodded sagely. "Sai can grow a personality, Sakura can actually grow a figure, you can arrive _slightly_ on time, but I can't be smart." He glared at his sensei. "Where, exactly, is the logic in that?"

"No logic." Kakashi's eyes turning into upside down 'U's. "Only reason."

The younger Jounin growled. "_Sensei."_

Kakashi laughed, waving his hands submissively. "Just kidding, just kidding." The men began walking, scanning left and right for any concealed ninja, their eyes darting to any shadow or movement. Trash blew across the road, and a pop can rocked slightly up ahead. "So, how'd you beat them?"

"Who?" Naruto asked.

"Boys of Regeneration back there."

"Oh! Them." Naruto's face was blank. Then he smiled brightly and shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't."

Kakashi face vaulted. "WHAT?"

_Front Gate_

Hinata gasped, trying to suck in any oxygen that she could. It hurt. Kami, it hurt. Her ribs were broken and every breath of air brought into her lungs rubbed against them. Hinata knew that pretty soon she would be risking a punctured lung as well. Bruises covered her face and torso, gifts courtesy of a rather nasty Rock-nin turned Sound. Her ears were ringing, and a rather annoying nosebleed _just wouldn't stop_. Hinata snorted to herself, wincing at the pain. _Wouldn't that be a dignified death worthy of the Hyuuga Head. Death by nosebleed. Not._ Her legs seemed to have turned into jelly, and Hinata couldn't stop her descent onto the ground.

"Hinata! Are you okay?"

_Kiba_-_kun_.

Hinata glanced up at her leather clad teammate. She schooled her face to be jovial. "I am fine. You?"

"Aw, just great!" He smirked. "Final count, eighty-seven." He glanced up over her head. "What about you, tough guy? Can you compete with the king?"

"I find myself at the humble number of ninety-four." Shino said calmly, coming up to stand behind her.

Was Hinata imagining it, or was that sound satisfaction? Of course, anyone would be satisfied to put _that_ look on Kiba's face. "_What!"_ The Inuzuka floundered, his hands motioning frantically, his mouth moving soundlessly. "_How?"_ He finally gasped. Hinata hid a smile, and knew that Shino was using his large collar to do the same. There was no question if Shino was cheating. Shino didn't _cheat_.

"Do not worry, Kiba-kun." Hinata rushed to encourage him. "There are still many hours left in this day. I am sure that you will be able to narrow the score…" Hinata's kind words only seemed to depress the Wolf Rider even more.

"Even _Hinata_'s against me! Hinata!" Kiba groaned, face palming himself.

Shino sighed. "Come now, Kiba. This was only a bet. You will not pay much."

"Hah! Have you seen how much your bugs eat?" Kiba retorted hotly. For the first time, Shino's face flashed with annoyance. "Insects. Not _bugs_. _Insects_. Baka."

Hinata grinned, even as she cringed inside from the pain of taking breath. If she could only hold on just a little bit longer. Just a little bit…

* * *

_Residential Area 1_

Twelve hours. Twelve hours of blood, sweat, and tears. Twelve hours of Battle. Tsunade grunted as she slammed her foot into an approaching enemy. _Heh. Of course the Hokage has to get involved. Because nothing about the Hokage job is ever _easy_. Because that would just be too unfair!_ Another building crashed into rubble, and Tsunade could feel her pocket book getting lighter. She jumped onto a wall. Shock. Astonishment. They riveted through her in waves. _This_ was Konoha? _This_ was her beautiful village? What… what the – had happened to it?

So few buildings remained standing. Bodies covered the ground like flees on a dog. Blood ran freely, the ground so soaked with it that it couldn't absorb more. The streets and walls were literally stained with red. "Kami." Tsunade breathed. Was there anyone left? Panic seized her for a second. Where was Naruto? Where was Sakura? _Calm down. They're very capable. Sakura'll take care of Naruto. Don't worry. And they have Kakashi and Sai with them. Now, what about the others. What about—"_ Tsunade froze, for one instant her senses stretched out to their limits. The next instant, she was airborne, flinging herself headlong off the wall.

Orochimaru's sword sliced into the place where she had been standing, leaving a deep gash. "Oh… Feeling lucky? Tsunade-hime."

Tsunade sneered, her lip curling back in plain distaste. The sound of wood clicking against tile and the brush of familiar chakra alerted her to Jiraiya's presence. "Well, well, well," She quipped. "If it isn't the perverted traitor. Strange, I thought you would be back at home playing with your boy toys. Pedophile."

Jiraiya guffawed behind her, even as Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "Such a pitty, Hime. I didn't think you would descend to the level of the idiot behind you. Such humor is below you." Tsunade 'tsh'ed, looking to the side and Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "Okay, let's get this on with! I got places to be, people to see. Especially…" Tsunade glared at him and he cut himself off sharply. "…Er… Let's just get one with it."

* * *

_Weapons District 3_

Sakura swore loudly as she slammed her fist into the ground. The earth splintered and shattered. Youruchi lurched, swearing vilely as she grabbed for a handhold. Sakura quickly made seals and plunged her hands into the ground, turning the earth before her into quicksand. However, Youruchi was able to rise above it, hurling herself over Sakura's head. She flipped, her heels digging into the back of Sakura's head, flinging her forward. Swinging around, she roundhouse kicked Sakura up into the air.

The Konoha Jounin felt herself hurl through the air. Then, pain blossomed through her side, ballooning from her chest, sparking down to her kidneys. Blood, red and bright, pulsed from her lips dribbling down her chin to trail down her neck. Sakura swallowed, choking down her desire to cough. She looked down and became pale.

When Youruchi had kicked her, Sakura had flown to one of the shattered roofs. A rafter, splintered and pointed, was positioned in exactly the right position to stab her on her landing. She was impaled on the rafter. Haruno gasped in shock and pain. Her mind, trained and accustomed to analytical assessments quickly diagnosed her situation. The rafter was large, probably having pierced her intestines and breached her lungs. Her kidneys… they hurt, but they wouldn't kill her. No her greatest problem was… well, several things. Choking on her blood, intestines falling out, bleeding out… was her sternum damaged? No, it wasn't. Good. That meant that she wouldn't die the moment she was off the post. What was her Chakra situation? Well… Sakura could answer that question immediately. It was poor. Very poor. She only had a small percent, perhaps two or three, before she entered into chakra exhaustion. It would be great to heal her wounds only to die from that, now, wouldn't it?

A dark chuckle reminded her suddenly of why she was here, suspended ten feet off the ground, and hanging from a rafter. Youruchi, madness and bloodlust dancing across her face, her eyes dark and dangerous. Her lips were stretched into a feral grin, heaves which lifted her chest up and down also bringing dark laughter. From her ankle, spreading like a whirlwind of cherry petals, the dark marks of a curse seal crept up her leg and across her face and body.

Looking into the countenance of her now insane rival, Sakura swallowed thickly.

This had just gotten more complicated.

* * *

_Hokage Tower 1_

Sarutobi Konohamaru, a young Chuunin dressed in the normal Chuunin vest and a blue scarf, ran down the streets. He had just come from the Hokage Area. However, it was now, as were many areas, either overrun or a silent battlefield filled only with the carcasses of the dead. The Chuunin coughed. Many of those corpses were friends. Some, family. Some were closer than brothers…

Udon. Smart, clumsy, snotty Udon, whose mathematical mind had always figured interesting ways out of many situations. Gone… Just like Ebisu-sensei, pervert that he was.

Why was the road so…blurry?

_Thud!_

Two bodies slammed into each other before falling to the gory ground. In a flash, both were standing, kunai drawn, stances prepared. However, the bodies froze suddenly. "Moegi!"

"Konohamaru!"

The Chuunin teammates stared at each other for a second, before the boy rushed forward to support Moegi as she slumped, her hand pressed against her side. "What are you doing out here! I thought I told you to get away from the Hokage Area!"

"And since when," Moegi muttered, standing up straight, "Have I _ever_ listened to _you?_" She snorted, placing a hand on her side. "Besides, despite what it _may_ seem, _it_ is only a surface wound! _It _is not life threatening. _It_ is certainly no reason to have your teammate_ dragged off_ by some _genin_ to a medical area so that you and Udon can go off and fulfill the call of your testosterone!" Moegi paused, her face flushed. She had been poking him in the chest, becoming more aggressive with each 'it.' Then she looked around. "Where's Udon? Is he coming along?"

She turned to Konohamaru, her eyes meeting his. She froze. He didn't know what his face looked like. He didn't know if his eyes darkened, or if his face paled, or if his jaw tightened. He didn't know if she could sense the cold feeling that seemed to wrap around his throat, soak his stomach and steal the strength from his bones. However, whatever she saw, Konohamaru knew that it was enough. She fell silent, except for a quiet, "Oh God, not him too. Not him." They stood there, Moegi staring at the ground before her, face white except for two red spots right on her cheeks. Her bottom lip was caught between her teeth, and Konohamaru knew the signs well enough to know she was trying not to cry.

Her back straightened. "At least… he won't have to see what's become of us… what _will_ become of us."

"Oi!" Konohamaru protested. "Don't talk like that! You still haven't seen what Nii-san will do. And I don't intend to die until I see Naruto on that mountain as the Rokudaime. And certainly not until I see my face on there right beside him! So… don't give up." He turned away, flinging his scarf over his shoulder. He turned away muttering, "Tch, this thing is so troublesome!"

"Oi! That's my line!"

"Hanging out with Shikamaru much, Konohamaru-kun?"

Konohamaru and Moegi turned around to see two Jounins… or rather a Jounin and a half walking up to them. "Shikamaru! Ino!" Moegi cheered. "We lost track of you! Where's Chou…" She stopped, wondering if perhaps she shouldn't ask that. However, when Ino rolled her eyes and Shikamaru sighed as if the world was looking at him to hold it on his shoulders, she grinned. "He's taking a breather, eh?"

"Never mind that!" Sarutobi cut in. "We need to get you to the hospital, Moe! And then—"

The female Chuunin rolled her eyes and hit him on the shoulder with a clenched fist. "Stop that, I told you I'm fi… Konohamaru!"

The Sarutobi felt himself fall. _Pain_. She actually hit him! Right there! On the wound! _Ouch…_ He thought absently.

Hands caught him and lowered him to the ground where he could lean against the nearby wall. It was dark… _why? Oh, my eyes are closed. _Blurry vision. The outline of a head. Blue eyes. A halo of gold hair. Ino. Moegi… she was talking. Always…talking.

He winced.

"…And you were lecturing _me_ about going to the hospital! You hypocrite! Cheat! Liar! Deceiver! Insensitive gout! How could you! We… we need to get you to a hospital! The medic center!"

"It's no good." Ino broke in, unzipping Konohamaru's Chuunin vest. "We just came from there. It's completely over run." Deft hands exposed the large wound that cut into his shoulder and down his chest. "However, while I'm nowhere near Sakura's skill, I have some training. I'll do what I can."

* * *

_Near Residential Area 1_

Shizune gasped, her eyes staring at the battle in front of her. This could be a war in its self! Three kage-level nins of equal power. A triangle. Not one greater than the other. Shizune watched, her eyes wide as they battled. Never before had she seen them this passionate about winning.

Jiraiya wasn't as good as he used to be. His injuries, courtesy of Akatsuki two years prior still hampered him. After all, one didn't just recover from being dead for eighteen minutes (an unheard of record), then having a boatload of chakra pumped into you from two very panicked sources (Tsunade and Naruto), and then be nearly killed again, not six weeks afterwards by a vengeful Akatsuki in the "Final Battle," as it was "affectionately" named. Or, as Naruto called it, "The Final Battle to End all Battles and Help Us Save the World from Being Taken Over By Crazed, Power Hungry Maniacs with Gender Issues."

However, that was an incredibly long title, so after being pounded by Sakura, Naruto had agreed to the "Final Battle." This was much to Sai's disappointment, as he had already made the banner.

Tsunade was slower than two years before, stress, age, and an over abundance of sake taking their toll. Her movements were slow, but her hits still packed a punch. However, Shizune and Sakura knew what no one else did – Tsunade was loosing her eyesight. Her peripheral vision was fading quickly, and her left eye had lost depth measurement. Orochimaru, on the other hand, looked as good as he always did.

Shizune, after watching her mistress being hurled headlong into a wall, clenched her teeth. _This_ battle wasn't going to turn out like the "Last Battle". Not if she could help it. She gritted her teeth and threw herself off of the wall.

She was half way to her mistress when a hand wrapped around her ankle and flung her to the ground. She smashed into the gravel spectacularly, her face quickly turned raw with scrapes.

"Tsk, Tsk," A smooth voice reproved. "A little girl like you shouldn't get caught up in the debates of adults. Why not come play with me instead?"

Shizune grunted, gravel biting into her face before she pushed herself up. "Kabuto. You low down, slimy, double crossing, two-faced traitor!"

Kabuto grinned, unruffled as he pushed up his glasses. "It's so nice to hear the last words of a friend."

Shizune sneered. "That's nice. However, I could never be friends with a medic who so abuses his art. Nor will I die to one."

Kabuto raised an eyebrow. "Well, when you meet Kami face to face, you can complain to him."

Shizune watched him warily, knowing she was no match for him. He was younger, more skilled and had regeneration ability. He was also more brutal, had killed more, and he wouldn't hesitate. She knew, as she studied him closely looking for a weakness, _any weakness, _she was going to die. But maybe… just maybe she would take him with her.

Shizune rose to her feet, determined to meet her death fighting.

* * *

Tsunade gasped as her handmaiden's chakra signature disappeared. Shizune's signature had been implanted into Tsunade's mind from the day Shizune had come up to her, bag over her shoulder, hair stuck to her face, and had told her flatly that, no, she _was_ going into exile with Tsunade, and nothing the drunk blond could say or do would stop her. If she had to she would just follow behind by a day until Tsunade eventually had to say yes. Looking into the wide, dark eyes, and seeing the reflection of her fiancé in the passion held there had made her say nonchalantly agree, expecting the girl to give up in a month. She never expected to gain a life companion.

And now…

She watched helplessly as her friend, surrogate daughter, niece, and companion fell to the dust. Those same eyes, once so filled with heartfelt passion, so often filled with concern and exasperation, were now dulled.

_NO! _Tsunade felt a piece of her heart die as she saw the limp figure. _She had so many things she wanted to do! Open a tea shop, have a dog, be able to sleep in two days in a row… marry that one punk! Genma! It's not fair! Not fa—_

"Tsunade! Move!" Jiraiya's warning barely came in time and Tsunade sank into the ground as the large snake landed where she had stood. When she rose again, dirt sticking onto her face where her tears had trailed, she heard the sound of Orochimaru's snickering. "Getting old, Tsunade? You should pay more attention to your surroundings! After all, that just might kill you someday."

In his glee, Orochimaru failed to notice the growing shadow until it was nearly too late. Gamabunta landed where Orochimaru had stood just moments before. Setting his foot up, he rested an elbow on it, and with a smirk stated, "Better pay more attention to your surroundings, Orochimaru. That just might kill you someday."

As Orochimaru growled, Tsunade looked at the body of her handmaiden, noticing with pride that she had taken Kabuto down with her. Slowly, she looked over her village. This was her home. _Hers._

"_Orochimaru."_ She hissed, causing both men to look at her. "I think today would be a great day for there to be only two Sannins, don't you think?" She turned her head to glare at him, her forehead marked with seals.

The sound of a summoning broke the silence.

* * *

_Close to Weapons District 3_

Kakashi and Naruto landed close to where they sensed Sai and Sakura. Ten minutes before they had felt Sakura's chakra spike in a way they hadn't sensed since… _that_ time. Kakashi reached up to his ear mike, which was, for once, clear as hundreds of chakra explosions, spikes, and failings contributed to interference on the headset. However, at this distance, it was likely that Sai would be able to hear them. "Sai, Sakura, report."

They continued to walk down the remains of what once was the main street. Except for the sounds of occasional explosions, screams and jutsu in the distance, all was silent. "Sai, Sakura, this is Kakashi. Code in." Static. Naruto glanced at him, his eyes concerned.

"No answer?"

Kakashi glanced at him, and then tapped the mike again. "Haruno Sakura, Sai, report. What is your status?"

"_This—Sai. Brea—up. Locat—Weapon shop. Status… Tired but well." _

By this time, the other half of Team Kakashi was already on the move. "Keep speaking, Sai. We're coming to you. How's Sakura?"

"_I'm fine." _Sakura's voice came clearly over the mike._ "Just…having a little,"_ There was a large crash and the sound of a wall crumbling. Naruto glanced up to see one of the few walls left in Konoha collapse. _"Trouble with a gnat."_

"Sai, what are you doing?" Naruto asked, finally turning on his own headset. "Are you in combat?"

"_Negative. I'm just watching two ugly hags have a cat fight to prove their superiority to the common dust mop-using housewife."_ As Kakashi and Naruto exchanged sweat dropped, deadpanned looks, they heard the roar of, "_What? Come here and say that to my face you--"_

"_You're supposed to be on my side you two timing, double faced--"_

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Well, that answers who she's fighting. You'd think she'd learn not to get so emotionally involved." Kakashi snorted. "Pot. Kettle. You get emotionally involved if your just _see _someone you _think_ you recognize. And what about those twins…"

Naruto glanced at him. "No comments from the ramen gallery, please."

A spike of chakra, so strong that it was nearly suffocating, swept over them and Naruto froze, his face becoming an inexpressive mask. His eyes darkened and became red while his face twisted. "Orochimaru!" The blond crouched and vanished, appearing several yards away only to vanish again.

"Naruto, wait!" Kakashi yelled, running forwards a few paces. However, the blond ninja either didn't hear him or chose to disregard the call. Growling in exasperation, Kakashi reached over and tapped on his headset. "Sai, Sakura, the Sannin's are fighting. Sai, help Sakura end that fight soon. I'm gonna go after a certain knucklehead."

"_Acknowledged."_

"_Tsunade-sama? Understood."_

_

* * *

_

Naruto sprang from rubble pile to rubble pile. His teeth gritted. His eyes were narrowed. _"Baa-chan. Ero-Sennin. Don't do anything stupid. Don't _die.

Tsunade gasped, her chest heaving. _I'm getting too old for this_. Her weary eyes met those of Jiraiya. He was badly hurt. He had taken two strikes by Orochimaru's sword to the chest. One arm was nearly severed. He wouldn't last long without help. She wasn't doing too well herself. Her regeneration jutsu, while giving her an extra boost for a while was beginning to drain her. She was running low on Chakra, she knew she had at least four broken ribs. Internal bleeding—definite. However, she derived satisfaction from the fact that Orochimaru wasn't doing so well either.

His breath was coming in wheezes. One of his arms was disabled, a fair exchange for Jiraiya's limp one. A bad limp slowed down his movements. She was sure that she had given him some internal bleeding with that last punch. However, he still had more reserves in Chakra than her, and a greater number of jutsu. Jiraiya had more chakra than the both of them. She had more control than both of them combined. _Snake trumps Frog, Frog trumps Slug, Slug trumps Snake. More jutsu, more control, more chakra. We really were the three parts of a whole. Where did it go wrong? Where did we fail?_

Orochimaru started laughing. The sound grated on Tsunade's ears. He sounded insane, like a maniac! "This has been… very fun. However, I think it's time I wrapped this up, don't you think?" He reached up a pale hand to his face and _pulled._ Skin came off like rubber revealing a very familiar face. "Say hello to your old comrade. Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto landed in a crouch, his hands brushing against the ground. His trench coat trailed behind him, it's orange flames kicking up dust. His cat eyes easily picked up the signs of battle. Fresh blood, not yet browned with the setting of the sun led him to what used to be a busy, crowded living area. Now… it was an open field.

He arrived just in time to see a blur drive a long sword into the Godaime. Tsunade's eyes opened wide in shock. Her lips parted as if exhaling. Her eyes met those of her attacker, and for a second she pretended she could almost see regret.

"Why?" She gasped. "Why?"

Orochimaru didn't answer except to withdraw his sword. She fell to the ground lifeless. It was about then that Naruto took in the face of her killer.

"_Sasuke!" _No, not Sasuke, Naruto realized as the figure turned towards him slowly. Sasuke's eyes had never been that cruel. That… hostile. Even at the end, the last time Naruto had seen him, his eyes had been cold. Dead. They had never been hate filled except when directed towards the disaster that was Itachi. Sasuke's companions, what remained of them had already disbanded. Only he had remained.

* * *

_Two Years Ago_

_One Mile from Konoha_

"_What are you going to do now?"_

_The dark-haired teen didn't answer. He just stood with his head bowed and his gaze fixed on the ground. Naruto came to stand beside him, putting an arm on his shoulder. "Do… you know that you can always come back with us, right?" The Chuunin didn't want to force him. He didn't want to make Sasuke feel trapped. Cornered. Naruto sighed and flopped onto the ground._

_Two years and a half years ago he had returned from his trip with Jiraiya. Two years and four months ago, they heard that Sasuke had found his brother. However, Naruto had been called off the search to save Jiraiya who had foolishly gone into Akatsuki's lair to face Pain _alone_. However, he had heard from Sai that, after fighting through Sasuke's companions, they had arrived to see him standing over his brother, the sword held at his throat. He let him live. Even now, Naruto didn't know why. Two months later, Sasuke paid Naruto a visit. It lasted only five minutes. But it was enough for Naruto to see something was missing in Sasuke's eyes – purpose. _

_The visits became more regular. Five minutes became ten, ten became 15, and fifteen became thirty. Naruto never told Sakura and Kakashi except for days after when he knew Sasuke wasn't going to come back. He didn't know why not. Naruto knew that Sakura still loved Sasuke. However, despite how much he looked for it, Naruto didn't see any hint of Sasuke returning those feelings. _

_Until now…_

"_Baa-chan wouldn't be opposed to it. And well, you're name will slip you by the elders…" Naruto trailed off. "The fact is… I still think of you as my best friend… Sasuke."_

_Sasuke stiffened, the first sign of emotion Naruto had seen in… well… a long time. Black eyes met blue. A second seemed to become a day. In Sasuke's eyes, Naruto saw a kaleidoscope of emotions. Pain, longing, betrayal, hope, despair. Then, they hardened. "Sorry, Naruto." Sasuke turned away. "Can't go back to Konoha. That ship's sailed a long time ago." He paused. "For what it's worth… you were my best friend too."_

"_And Sakura?"_

_Sasuke paused again. "Perhaps it's best if she moves on. I…I'm not who she thinks I am."_

"_Yes, you are." Naruto said softly, not looking up at the dark-haired teen._

_Sasuke didn't answer._

"_Goodbye, Naruto. Become a great Hokage."_

_Two years ago, the war on Konoha started. Orochimaru had returned._

And now…

"No…" Naruto shook his head. "You're not Sasuke. Orochimaru!" He bared his teeth. "How did you survive? Sasuke told me he overwhelmed you. You… you failed to take over his body!"

Orochimaru chuckled. "Oh, that is true. Unfortunately for the boy in question, he could only suppress me as long as his will remained strong. Without a purpose… well… It was quite easy! Such a pity! He _so_ wanted to join Konoha. Unfortunately, he already felt me in his mind and _didn't want to endanger you!_"

It took a moment for Naruto to identify the grinding noise as his teeth. His eyes became scarlet. Fangs elongated. "You --! I'm gonna kill you!"

* * *

TBC…

Read and Review!

**P.S.** Does anyone know why all the page breaks have disapeared? It's really annoying!


	2. Picking Up the Pieces

Hey all! Here is the beta'd version of chapter two - back and better than ever!

Feel free to ask questions, give critisisim, or make comments.

Rated PG-13 (T) for violence, drinking, smoking, and implied swearing.

If I write slang that offends you, feel free to tell me and I will try and edit it out in further works. Remember that all chapters are subject to change. You might read one thing, then come back and find something completely different. All changes will be announced in current chapter. Thanks!

**Disclaimer - **If it were mine would I be writing fanfiction? Probably, cause it's so fun to make alternate universes of your own work. :D

* * *

**Chapter Two**

By the time the rest of Team Kakashi arrived, the desolation was almost complete. Only two things remained untouched: the green and red clad bodies of the two loyal Sannins as Naruto had moved them into a safe location soon after the battle started.

"Tsunade-sama!" Sakura gasped, surging forward. Sai grabbed her before she could take three steps. The journey had given her time to recover and Kakashi had given her some food pills to refresh her chakra enough to heal her wounds. However, Sai knew she was at her wits end. Fighting with Youruchi always made her lose her common sense, and he didn't think she had ever fought someone for four hours straight before. Besides…

"It's too late, Sakura. She's gone."

Kakashi didn't have to see her face to know what it looked like. Her eyes would open wide. They'd blank out and become a very pale green. Her face would become sheet white. Her eyebrows would be raised in shock. Her mouth would fall open. And then…

Her eyes would darken to a dark green. A flush would rise from her neck to her face. Her teeth would grit. Eyebrows would furrow. Finally…

She would charge.

"_Orochimaruuu!"_

* * *

Naruto wasn't aware of time or space. His mind was completely focused on one thing. _Orochimaru._ _He_ did this. _He_ destroyed Konoha. _He _killed Sasuke. _He _killed Jiraiya and Tsunade. _He was going to die._

The jounin wasn't even truly aware of his teammates when they joined him. However, his subconsious mind soon recognized their presences and began to react accordingly. He didn't even notice when he sprang onto one of Sai's ink monsters to gain leverage, or when Sakura gave him extra boosts of height. Patterns of combat, such as combo attacks with Kakashi by mixing the Chidori and the Rasengan, were hardly noticed. They were simply natural. Instinct.

Oh sure, somewhere in the back of his mind Naruto knew they were there. In fact, it was knowing that they had his back which kept him from going completely berserk.

All at once, Naruto became aware of another chakra signature. It was familiar; less familiar than Team Kakashi, which whom he had spent most of his time, but it was still familiar none the less. Keeping most of his attention on Orochimaru, Naruto attempted to identify the arriving people through his battle-clouded mind. Hinata and Kiba were the first he identified, just moments before they transported into the battle field. Hinata charged into the battle screaming, something that startled him. She was crying, tears running down in a constant, unceasing stream. Her eyes, pearl white and usually so calm and forgiving, were wide and furious. Chakra emitted from her in waves, and with hair unbound and flowing, and her usually white and pristine clothing stained with blood; the Hyuuga Head was terrifying.

Kiba, for a change, was silent. There was no brash talk, no proclamations of an easy victory, no bragging. Instead, his face was stoic, white. His eyes seemed almost dead, and he fought as if he were dreaming, his glazed eyes staring beyond the Snake-nin. His leather jacket was torn to shreds, and his tattoos were hidden behind the red liquid that streaked his face. Beside him, Akamaru shot worried glances at his master.

The next chakra signatures sensed were that of Neji, and as seen beside him, Lee. Lee had so little chakra it was impossible to sense him, something that was helpful on recon, and he surprised Orochimaru by popping out of the woods. Tenten provided Neji and Lee with cover fire from the trees with an archaic bow she had recovered, until she deemed it too useless and drew a scythe.

Chouji, with his samurai armor and long hair came running after her, a battle cry already roaring across the field. It would have been more intimidating if it hadn't been something to the extent of, "For Konoha, the food, and my friends. And for big-boned people everywhere!"

Chouji had become more eccentric after he reached Jounin.

Naruto wasn't sure when the actual acknowledgement of his allies entered his consciousness, but he soon stopped just realizing they were there, and started working _with_ them instead of _around_ them. It was probably when a very annoyed Shikamaru and a strangely passive Ino saved him from meeting his maker. Shikamaru leveled him with a glare and practically commanded him to order the rest of the shinobi around.

It was then that he realized he needed to start strategizing instead of just leaping around with his instincts. "Sai! Paint some chains! Shikamaru, try to catch him. You only need to hold him for a little bit. If you have a better idea, tell me! Sakura, I'm going to need that new technique you've been working on. Everybody else! We've got to occupy him!"

The plan was, frankly, easier said than done. Shikamaru approved of the basics, having a working knowledge of what was going through Naruto's head. He did refine it, such as ordering the ex-Root to hide on the outskirts, or having Tenten keep up a barrage of arrows and darts to the left, even though she had protested that she might hit one of their own. Shikamaru had calmly answered that the day Tenten _missed _was the day Naruto rejected Ramen.

Injuries were given. Wounds were received. The Konoha Twelve were knocked down, beaten up, and flung around, but they were never crushed. It seemed that for every step they took forward, and for every snap decision Shikamaru ordered they took three steps back. Nevertheless, the battle raged on.

* * *

She was in position. Orochimaru was distracted, his eyes on Lee who had dropped his weights early in the fight and was darting around like a depraved and sugar-high chipmunk. The only signs of Lee's passage were the trails of dust and the impacts on Orochimaru. Every once in a while, Orochimaru would reel back and stumble.

Now was her chance.

Sakura flew through the air, her eyes passing over Sasuke's face. Sorrow and heart-wrenching pain passed through her eyes but she didn't hesitate. "Aisu: Sakura Kangoku: Ice: Cherry Prison!"

Water sprang up from the ground, circling around Orochimaru. Even as he struggled helplessly, furious that he couldn't break out, the liquid, fortified by her chakra encompassed him and froze in the shape of a cherry blossom. Sakura whispered a soft, "Good bye, Sasuke." Before the ice sealed him in and glowed blue. No one, not even Tsunade could have broken through.

Coat billowing behind him, eyes red, and mouth pressed tightly shut, Naruto appeared from behind the ice, a Fuuton Rasengan in his hand. _Forgive me, Sasuke. _With a cry of rage and grief he slammed his hand into the glassy ice, shattering it and the figure inside. Pieces of Orochimaru flew in every direction, still frozen in the shards of ice. Naruto landed in a kneel.

The Battle was over.

Orochimaru and Sasuke were no more.

* * *

It was the coughing that caught their attention. Deep hacking coughs that had never come out of the mouth of any corpses echoed across the field. Tsunade!

Quickly, Naruto and Sakura rushed to her side. However, even as Sakura began to gather chakra to heal her, the Hokage waved her off. "It's… too late, Sakura." She smiled sadly even as blood trickled down her chin. "I guess… I knew," Tsunade coughed. "This would happen. My choice. Foolish choice, really. However… Konoha…" She turned to Naruto, her brown eyes glazed in pain, gazed up at him for a moment, before she slowly reached up and grabbed the necklace that hung down. "Gomenasai, Naruto. It seems that there is no village for you to become Rokudaime. I hope, some day, you can forgive me…"

Naruto shook his head a tremulous smile forcing its way to the corners of his lips. "There's nothing to forgive, baa-chan." His tanned hand brushed back some of the hair from her face.

Tsunade smiled. "Always so forgiving! Baka Gaki!" She sobered. "I'm a-afraid that i-it's over now." Brown eyes sharpened and she pulled his head so his ear was by her lips.

"Listen to me, Naruto." Her coughing became suddenly pronounced and her bleeding increased. "There… is a sc-scroll. Un-der my… desk. It has a…a jutsu which can stop this from happening. You can… go back in time… Jikou Tempus Rasen…" She swallowed thickly against the rising blood. "You can change all of this." Naruto nodded, his face serious and focused as his eyes scanned her face. Memorizing it. Tsunade smiled gently, her hand reaching up to brush her necklace, and then, the blood-stained hand moved to Naruto's face. She cupped his cheek. " You…would have been the best Hokage, Rokudaime." Dropping her hand, she struggled to sit up as Sakura moved behind to support her.

"Hear me now…" Tsunade's voice rang out. The rest of the Konoha shinobi crowded around, many of them already wet around the eyes as they watched their beloved Hokage slip away. "This is the last order of your Hokage. Take…c-care of each other. Protect each other." She gagged, blood cutting off her air. Hinata quickly joined Sakura in trying to help the Hokage. Tsunade smiled at her, before her eyes passed over the rest of the group. _It isn't fair… I have so much I want to tell you, all of you._ "You ar-are the elite generation… Y-yo…you are th-the be-est shinobi this village has ever produced. T-the kindest, brav-vest, and th-the most just. D-do not fail this final mission… Godspeed… all of you…"

Her body wracked with a coughing fit, and her face twisted in pain. Then, as if an angel had touched her, her face smoothed. Her voice trailed off and her eyes dimmed.

The only sound was the wind, soft and gentle blowing across the flattened village. It whistled over buildings and inserted its cold fingers through their clothes, causing them to shiver.

Slowly, Naruto reached out to close the lifeless eyes. "Hai… Hokage-sama."

"Hai! Hokage-sama." The group chorused.

* * *

The next four days were spent burying the dead and trying to pick up the shattered, scattered and utterly destroyed slivers of what remained of their lives. For four days after the attack, name after name after name was carved into the stone. After the marker was filled they started on the ground around it.

It was on this ground that Naruto now sat, tracing names of beloved friends and companions while contemplating the last few days.

After the burial of the Hokage, Naruto buried Jiraiya and Iruka. He also personally buried Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon – the Konohamaru Corps. Ino told him how Konohamaru had died - like a true Sarutobi - trying to protect Moegi. However, Naruto could have told her that himself from the positions of the two when they retrieved them. Konohamaru's body was so marked and mutilated that only his blue scarf, stained to nearly brown from blood, identified him. Naruto delayed their burial until he could find what remained of Udon and the three were buried in the same mound, together as always.

Iruka was reported to have taken the killing blow while protecting his students from a mad Sound-nin. He had delayed the sound-nin even as the other teachers made a dash for the Hokage mountain and presumed safety. Those who made it were soon slaughtered in an ambush inside the stronghold. Iruka's death had been in vain, but his image of courage had given the students the strength to fight. Naruto was proud of Iruka but he still spent four hours ranting and raving about how _stupid_ he had been.

Naruto also buried Ichiraku and his daughter, Ayame. They were only two of the five hundred civilians, but they had been, at least to him, the most important.

Numbered among the slain were members of various cells and teams which he had joined. He found numerous friends and acquaintances in the ruins.

Naruto was sure that he had survived the battle only to die of grief. He had been with Sai when the painter closed Genma's eyes, or when they had found Raidou's body in the middle of several slain Sound-nin. Anko was found laying eagle spread with dull eyes staring straight into the sky by Ino, who had wept bitterly but proudly as they surveyed the damage the insane chick had meted out. As he looked around, Chouji thought that it was no wonder she had died with a smile on her face, and he reflected that in many ways, Anko had been a mentor to Ino, teaching her a lot about what it meant to be ruthless.

Members of the Konoha Twelve would never again walk among them.

There, on the Memorial Stone, lay the names of Aburame Shino, and Tenten.

Abruame Shino had died in the battle for the Gate in the last ditch effort to save it.

Naruto had gotten to know Shino well. Spending two weeks trapped in the same cave with only Shino as a companion had ensured their friendship (or their eternal hatred, but fortunately, it was friendship). In fact after they had begun talking, Shino and Naruto discovered they had a lot in common. Both were excluded for things that lived inside of them. Both were incredibly loyal to their companions. Both had similar precious people. Neither of them thought Uchiha Sasuke was the hottest thing to ever come along and thought that all girls who believed so were stupid. This also caused a shared respect for Hinata who had never thought that way. To be concise – Naruto liked him.

Team Eight was devastated. Shino had been a quiet guy. He had been reason in the flesh. Sometimes he didn't get a joke, and sometimes he was just too serious, and many times he didn't understand things such how it could rain cats and dogs when clearly, it was water falling from the sky, but he had been a friend, a companion, and a brother to Team Eight. He had boosted Hinata's confidence, toned down Kiba's arrogance, kept balance between the peace-seeking Hinata and the passion-filled Kiba. He was… well… he was their teammate.

Kiba was especially hit by his death. Apparently, Shino died only two feet away from him.

Naruto didn't know where Kiba was, but he would bet that he was still in training field six, sitting silently, watching the wreck with Hinata holding his hand.

Tenten had died in a similar way, leaping into Neji's blind spot and knowingly sacrificing her life to protect him from Orochimaru. Neji hadn't even realized what had happened until he had heard Lee cry out. When he had turned around she had already been dead, a contented smile already fading from her lips, the light gone from her brown eyes.

It had been painless. That was all the comfort Sakura could give them.

Both teams were… well…

You didn't spend years living together, fighting together, and sleeping in the same tent, without learning to live with each other. You didn't help each other with your problems, listen to their rants, and run laps together where there was nothing _to_ do except learn about each other, without coming to feel like family. You didn't eat with their families and make friends with their families, listen to dreams and aspirations, and tell your own ambitions in return without getting to know each other at a deep level.

It wasn't possible to do these things and not learn how to tolerate and even like your teammate's quirks. Having a girl on your team meant going through terrible cycles of hormones which you had to learn how to tip toe around.

You didn't save each other's lives over and over again and create thousands of inside jokes and not feel as if a piece of you had been killed when your teammate was.

In a way, both teams envied the Konohamaru Corps. They, at least, had died together.

* * *

Naruto clenched at the scroll left in his hands. _This will change that. All it takes is one jutsu and this will never have happened._ He looked to the memorial stone. All those names…

He was ready. Falsified identification from that era, food, clothing, and medical supplies were all packed in the small case beside him. He had a basic time line of when Orochimaru went bad to guide him and an outline on a plan of how to stop him. Exhaling, he opened the scroll and spread it before him. His hands flashed – boar, horse, dragon—

He cringed as a fist slammed into his head.

"You self sacrificing, selfish, moronic, pea-brained idiot!" Ino roared, her voice ringing in his ears. This was soon seconded by Sakura's, "What were you _thinking_! Baka! Aho! Brainless idiot!"

The two girls began to lecture him, twin-talking like no other.

"You are,"

"The most,"

"Difficult,"

"Hard headed,"

"_Block _headed,"

"Idiot to have ever,"

"Walked this earth if you think,"

"That we are just gonna,"

"Let you leave us behind!"

"You -&-#-!" They chorused.

Naruto glanced between them, confused. _How did they… Oh. Kiba's hearing._

"It seems you were correct, Shika." Sai quipped, ducking out of the trees. "He _was_ going to try and leave us behind." The painter rapped Naruto over the head as Shikamaru appeared from the shadows. That is, he came up from a puddle of shadows. "Mendokuse!" He muttered, keeping waist deep to allow Chouji to follow him from the inky blackness.

"Oi! Naruto! Scatting are you?" Chouji opened a rare bag of chips and offered them to the group. Living two years with even hot water being regulated had curbed the last of any hoarding tendencies. You had to rely on others sharing with you to survive. "Good luck with that." He stomped over to the blond's side. "We aren't baggage that you can just leave around, got it? Want a chip?"

Good old Chouji. Compassionate, sensitive Chouji. For him to say something that acidic, Naruto knew he had screwed up.

He became aware of a figure in white kneeling before him as Hinata's silver eyes met his sadly. "Naruto… How could you…" She looked down and bit her lip. "Would you really abandon us? Would you truly," She met his eyes again. "Would you truly leave us in this desolate place with no hope, no chance of regaining our lives? Would you just leave without saying goodbye? Without giving us a choice?" Her pearl white eyes glared into his red-flecked blue. "Do we really mean so little to you, that you would do this?"

Naruto paused, his mouth open, "Hinata…" Her eyes, pained and betrayed, pierced him. He looked down. _It had to be Hinata. Anyone else I could argue with!_ "Gomen. I… I guess I was pretty foolish." He scratched his head. "This burden… belongs to all of us." Hinata's eyes softened and, after hesitating for a moment, she reached out to hug him.

"Thank you…" She whispered into his ear.

"For what?" He whispered back.

"For trying."

* * *

After Kiba had punched him for trying something so Stupid with a capital S, the surviving Konoha ninja began preparing for their trip. Shikamaru and Kakashi spent hours going over the time lines of the war with Iwagakure and the things that happened afterwards. Chouji was put in charge of gathering enough food supplies to last them until they arrived at a restocking area. Sakura and Ino gathered all medical supplies and herbs that they could find, while Sai spent his time preparing as much ink as possible.

It was interesting to see how two years of war had changed people. Sai was not nearly the emotionless… jerk… that he had once been. Instead, sometimes it seemed that he was almost too full of emotion, especially in regard to his precious drawings.

When it came to gathering weapons, Kiba had naturally assigned that duty to Tenten, until he had remembered that Tenten was a face they would never again see among them. He had fallen silent, his face paling and his fist clenching the piece of parchment. Kiba's eyes stared straight ahead dully. Neji plucked the piece of paper out of his hand and quietly said that he would do it. He had been Tenten's fighting partner long enough to know which weapons were useful and which were not. Then, he had walked away silently with Lee and hadn't been seen for the rest of the day.

Naruto… well, Naruto spent the day talking to Kyuubi trying to figure out a way to keep it from attacking Konoha again. After all, they reasoned, if Kyuubi didn't attack, the Yondaime wouldn't die, Naruto wouldn't become a Jinchuriki, and they would all be saved a whole lot of trouble.

* * *

He sat Indian style on top of the water, the dark gloom of the sewer darkening his eyes. His chin rested on his fist and he leaned forwards. Kyuubi, his tall red figure calm and falsely sedate lay behind the bars. Unlike years ago there was no obvious animosity between the two of them. They were… not quite… well… friends, but not enemies either. In fact, if one had to put it into words, one would say that they were partners with a healthy respect and fear for each other.

Over time, as Naruto used more and more of the Fox's chakra during his younger years, Naruto and Kyuubi had started merging before he had figured out a way to stop it. With the merge had come memories from both parties. Thus, Naruto knew exactly why Kyuubi had attacked Konoha. It was because of this that the blond sat in the sewer listening to the quiet drip drip of water from the pipes hitting the floor below. Shadows flicked as the imaginary light wavered.

"Is there anyway to prevent it?" Naruto asked quietly. He didn't need to specify.

"Only if you can keep that -0-0- Uchiha from learning my name." Kyuubi growled out curses and Naruto smirked. Neither of them liked the Uchiha, arrogant brats that they were. "If not, I'm afraid my younger self will be trapped within you again. As Sasuke said, after Madara learned my name, I was a puppet to his every whim."

Naruto looked down. "Revenge sucks, huh. Madara did it to get back at the Shodaime and Sasuke killed him. Sasuke betrayed the -" Naruto's voice cracked. "Village to get revenge on Itachi. You got mixed up in this business trying to avenge your mate." He trailed a finger through the water. "And now look where you are…"Kyuubi growled.

"Watch it, brat."

Naruto glanced up at him innocently. "What?"

Kyuubi sighed and crossed his giant paws beneath his chin.

"The point is, Brat, the only way you will be able to convince my younger self is by meeting him before I sign the contract. You'll either have to convince him that revenge is not the way… or…" Kyuubi trailed off.

"Kill him."

"Aa."

Naruto stayed silent for a while. "What about after the contract is signed? Is there anyway? I mean, I know we've discussed this before but…"

Kyuubi stayed silent for a moment, peering suspiciously at the boy below him. Then the giant fox let out a shuddering sigh of resignation.

"There might just be…"

They didn't have a table, or chairs. In fact, they didn't even have a room in which to meet. Instead, they were camped around a large boulder with Sai's carefully drawn time line laid out before them. The neat black lines were filled with scrawled red marks showing what they planned to change. Kakashi, perpetually dressed in his blue mask and jounin uniform, looked around the "table" at his fellow "time travelers."

Naruto was the shortest guy of the Konoha Nine, being around five foot seven, built like a brawler and blond. Very, very blond. Blue eyes with flecks of red, and slitted iris's insured that he could never be mistaken as a "normal" person. Bronze skin made the blue of his eyes stand out. He wore the standard jounin vest over a black shirt with an orange strip down the right side. Black shinobi pants covered his legs and were rimmed in orange. However, his newest addition to his wardrobe was a black, long sleeved, Yondaime-style coat with orange flames on the rim.

Naruto was still the pranking, joking, lighthearted boy of years ago whenever he _could_ be. However, Kakashi had noticed a gradual severity creeping into him over time as his subordinates were constantly placed in dangerous and deadly positions. He became solemn whenever he had to do paperwork, fight, or keep people calm. To put it simply, Naruto had become more responsible. At times it was a little bit nostalgic… that is, until Naruto decided that the kids needed a laugh and did the Sexy no Justu in front of a bunch of ANBU, promptly destroying any semblance of respect the elite faction retained.

Naruto carried a pouch with the pictures or memento of all the friends he had made. For Tsunade he wore the necklace. For Jiraiya, he wore his gloves. He had a dagger from Tenten, and a kunai from Shino. From Iruka he had his hiate. Konohamaru's scarf was also in the bag, as well as a few photos of the Konohamaru corps in various stages of their ninja lives. Chopsticks from the Ichiraku Ramen stand, and a senbon from Genma were also in his "treasure sack." From Sasuke… all Naruto had from his old teammate were worn out memories and an old ragged team picture.

Sakura, who sat to Naruto's right, was dressed in white and red. A white medical-looking trench coat with short sleeves and many pockets which often held supplies and medical tools was slung across the ground as a seat. She wore an outfit similar to her Genin days, except with a shorter skirt and longer pants with white stripes down the sides. The Haruno insignia was woven prominently into the back. A Jounin vest and a leather pouch held her fighting supplies. White gloves that went past her elbows completed the wardrobe.

Sakura had remained the same size, growing only one inch over the two years and that was due mostly to her shoes. Her hair tended to circulate between being long and short because it grew quickly. Right now, Sakura had it shoulder length and up in a messy bun by a senbon. One would think that she would keep it this way for a while, but Kakashi knew her well enough to know that she would soon chop it off, deeming it too much trouble. Long bangs hung down past her shoulders.

It was well known in Konoha that Sakura was equal to her Master in combat and healing. What was not known was that Sakura had surpassed Tsunade in genjutsu and in some ninjutsu. Sakura was no longer some little girl pretending to be a ninja. She had become deadly, earning her own page in the Bingo Books.

Sai was the member of Team Kakashi that was the most changed. He could actually smile now, a genuine smile. Emotions came more easily, as did compassion. Two and a half years had done much for his understanding of social skills. He could still insult you with the best of them though. Sai had become almost… temperamental. At times he was as pleasant as could be, and then out of nowhere he was suddenly raging about small things. Kakashi compared him to a P.M.S.ing woman, not that he would ever say that to Sakura.

Sai had become loyal – not to ROOT– but to Cell Seven. Sai thought of Sakura as his little sister who he just _had_ to tease, Kakashi as the perverted uncle you had to tolerate, and Naruto as the younger brother which you didn't really want but were stuck with, so why not have fun yanking his chain? However, if you were 'skilled' as Kakashi was at reading the "underneath the underneath," you would see that Sai genuinely respected Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi. He was loyal most of all to the boy who showed him how to have emotions and bonds.

Sai wore leather nowadays along with a long, heel-length leather coat. His gloves remained the same, and his katana was always strapped to his back. He had his ear pierced though as it was, he said, "Something new."

The largest change was a great tattoo which covered his back, sides, climbed up his neck and rested on the top of his head, the snout covering the upper right side of his face. It was a dragon which he could activate whenever needed like a summon. Naruto thought it was hilarious and wanted one as well, but Sakura's less than subtle rejection of that idea stopped it from becoming a reality. Naruto had a healthy respect for her fists after all.

Kakashi's attention was abruptly drawn back to the conversation as a small dispute broke out over how many changes to make between Kiba and Neji. Kiba wanted to change as much as possible, while Neji wanted to let certain events run their course. Things were about to get touchy after Kiba stated that Neji just wanted to prove his theory about destiny right, and Neji responded that someone who lived in a dog pin couldn't possibly understand the finer workings of a genius. Or at least, that's how Kiba translated it.

"We have to be careful," Hinata broke in, firmly staring down both boys before reaching to point out a few drastic changes. "If we were to change too much, we will be unable to predict following events, which would disrupt any future plans."

Shikamaru nodded to her, acknowledging the point before changing things around. He glanced at her and she nodded. Better.

Team Eight sat to the left of Sakura. Of them all, Hinata was perhaps the most changed. She wore white now in the form of almost robe-like thick tunics and pants that looked like they would hamper her movement. However, one only had to watch her sparing to know that she was incredibly deadly at taijutsu. She was also the creator of a new Jyuuken technique, which she had designed after being unable to use the Kaiten. She had also added a chakra whip to her accessories. Her long, wide sleeves hid senbon and poison, while tall white boots hid a throwing knife.

Hinata, with her white eyes, soft mouth and curvy figure, had become beautiful. In fact, she was acknowledged as the most beautiful Kunoichi of Konoha. Tall and graceful, bangs framed her face while long dark hair spilled down her back when freed. It was usually put up in an elegant design at the nape of her neck.

The largest change was Hinata's opinion of herself. She was the Hyuuga Head and had been for a year and a half. In that time she had figured out how to disband the Caged Bird Seal, and made a law abolishing it from the clan. Reforms, such as teaching the Hyuuga other ways of fighting than the Jyuuken were also mandatory. Over years of having friends who valued her, Hinata had bloomed into her natural wisdom and leadership. She was still incredibly loyal to Naruto, but she had become the Hyuuga Head in every way shape and form. She was quite able to take down someone a few pegs, and wasn't ashamed of it.

Kiba sat beside her, their hands still clasped. Tall and clad in leather, he hadn't changed much. He was the third tallest of the Konoha group, under Neji and Lee, who had grown like a weed after hitting eighteen.

Even then, there was only an inch difference between Neji and Kiba.

No one was even close to Lee. No one really wanted to be.

Following this train of thought brought Kakashi's attention to the two boys of Team Gai, who were in the middle of a serious discussion about the advantages of tea over coffee. Lee, apparently, was following Gai's path of coffee addiction, claiming that it was capable of growing barbwire on your chest or some such nonsense. Neji calmly shot down that argument with the question, "Who wants hair like that anyway? Gai doesn't count."

Lee and Neji were, as stated before, tall. Both of jounin rank, they had become quite a fighting force. Neji was dressed in white in the tradition of his clan. His forehead was clear now that he was free of the seal and it seemed that with the disappearance of that curse what bitterness remained in Neji had likewise vanished. He was more carefree now, if incredibly protective of Hinata. Or rather, overprotective. Many boys and men had complained that they couldn't get within ten feet of Hinata-sama without being on the receiving end of a death glare.

Neji and Lee had become friends instead of just rivals. In fact, they were more like brothers with a sibling rivalry. That didn't mean that Neji didn't hit Lee over the head whenever he felt Lee's behavior merited it or that Lee didn't see it as his personal duty to warm the frozen ice burg that was Neji.

Neji had been the chosen replacement for the ANBU Commander to replace the one under Tsunade after Naruto became Hokage. Unfortunately, now he would no longer have that chance as there simply _was_ no ANBU.

Neji's slow yet steadily melting ice mask around those he trusted caused a deepening in his friendships with _most_ of the Konoha Twelve. Neji never got along with Sai, but that may have been because of some… exchanged words when they first met. However, Neji and Shikamaru managed to get along alright.

That is to say, they never had any arguments, and both sides of the party greatly appreciated that the _other_ side of the party was logical and reasonable. They never had any problems, except that Shikamaru was the most laid back man you would ever meet and Neji had the award for Most Uptight four years running.

That being said, it was unsurprising that Neji and Kiba got along… terribly. They just rubbed each other wrong. Neji thought Kiba was an uncouth, loudmouthed idiot and Kiba never managed to forgive Neji for beating up his teammate. However, whenever there was a fight they knew how to put aside their differences.

Kind of. Sort of. Not really.

The most surprising friendship Neji made was with Naruto of all people. To everyone's undying shock, Neji openly stated that _when_ Naruto became Hokage he would have a loyal supporter in Neji, and that _when_ that happened, no one should even think of disrespecting the man in front of the Hyuuga ex-branch member. Naruto had laughed it off, but later told Iruka that it had warmed him to his toes to hear one of his friends saying that.

Lee no longer dressed in spandex. He _couldn't_ now that all the kunoichi had gotten together and banned all spandex from being sold before burning the entirety of Lee's wardrobe. Still, that was as far as Lee would let their makeover attempts go. He still had large eyebrows, still wore green, and still loudly and passionately proclaimed the beauty of the Fires of Youth to any willing and unwilling ear in Fire Country.

_Ah Gai… I think you would be proud of him. _Kakashi grinned from under his mask. _Tch, who am I kidding. _

_You were always proud of him._

* * *

A finger tapping on Kakashi's wrist brought him out of his contemplation. He sighed. It seemed it was his turn to lay down the ground rules. He lazily sat up from his slouched position.

"Well, now that we have the bothersome time line sorted out, I guess we'd better get down to infiltration rules. One thing that we need to do is leave behind all signs of affiliation. No vests, no signs of rank. I won't make you leave behind your hiate, because that's something that even I wouldn't, couldn't, _shouldn't_ part with. However, those must _never_ be worn, not even in places that feel safe." His eyes met theirs firmly. "Rule number two: We have to leave our names behind. I will no longer be Kakashi. Rule number three: Leave all distinguished techniques from Konoha behind. I will no longer be able to use the chidori. I will have to abandon the traditional dress of my family." Naruto and Sakura perked up.

"Oi, does that mean we'll get to see your face?" Naruto broke in, leaning forwards with a grin that crinkled his eyes.

Kakashi stared at him blankly. Naruto's grin turned sheepish and he rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry."

Kakashi turned to the snickering group. "As I was saying. If you are a Hyuuga, get used to putting genjutsu or a Henge on your eyes. Maybe we should spend some money to pick up contacts. Neji, you may want to devote some time to learning other ways of combat as I know you still depend strongly on Jyuuken. Kiba… well… Find someway to disguise you blood bond with Akamaru, alright?"

"Shikamaru, try and find reasonable explanations for your abilities. That goes for you too Chouji. I'll teach you both a few things that are common knowledge to help you out. Ino, I'm afraid that you will only be able to use techniques that you've invented, and not something you've been taught. Actually, if you can do that, this goes for all of you." The Konoha nins nodded in response. "Try and invent names for yourself, or nicknames which you can be called. Make them something you _and_ we can remember. If your name is common, keep it. However, family names have to be changed. Understood?"

"Hai!"

Kakashi smiled behind his mask. "Good. Naruto's clones and Kiba have built a temporary wagon. It probably won't hold long, so pack everything on it as soon as possible." Naruto snapped out an, "Oi!" which Kakashi ignored. "We leave tomorrow. Don't be late." With a grin and a, "Ja ne!" he poofed to his tent.

"Hmph!" Kiba snorted, standing up. He frowned in annoyance. "He's one to talk!" He walked over to Ino. "I don't suppose that you could, you know, threaten to _play_ with him if he didn't behave… could you?" Ino grinned.

"Heh. That'd be fun. I haven't gotten to anyone for three weeks. Mendokuse."

Ino with her slick blond hair, high yuro manicure, and styled clothing was the last person you'd expect to do the dirty work. However, that was what she specialized in – dirty work. She was the 2IC of the Torture and Interrogation Department of ANBU – T&N for short. At the age of eighteen she was a well-known terror, known for her ruthless interrogation methods, and when she felt like it, her ability to become friends with someone only to stab them in the back when she was done with them. When at her job Shikamaru said she was the cruelest, most ruthless person he knew discounting Anko, who he doubted was even human. Outside work, Sakura stated that Ino was her best friend and anyone who slandered her would have an intimate encounter with the dirt floor.

Shikamaru and Chouji had hardly changed at all, except for becoming lazier and bigger respectively. Shikamaru had been the acknowledged Strategist (and thus his nickname) who had often provided the Hokage with her major plans, and had been kept at ANBU level security even after he had finished his term. Chouji wore red armor and had become known for his variants of family techniques and his continued aggravation over the F-word. Oh, and the L-word. And the H-word, and of course we can't forget the B-word. Or any words that were synonyms for bulky.

* * *

The next day, they all gathered at the memorial stone. Sai had been awake most of the night making the seal necessary to transport them so he was exempt from packing the wagon due to exhaustion. All he really needed was his paintbrushes, ink and paper anyway. His precious paintings had been destroyed in the attack. Fortunately, his brother's book had been with him, so that, at least, had been spared. As the ex-shinobi began to put salvaged pots, pans, bed sheets, food and other such things into the wagon and tried to fit it all in, Sai walked over to sit beside Naruto (who was banned from helping). He took off his coat and spread it out to make a bed. With a sigh he flopped down beside his blond teammate. "Are you nervous?"

Naruto exhaled. He was sitting with his back to the tree, his knees bent up in front of him, his elbows resting on them. "Yeah, you better believe I am." He glanced down. "Do you realize what this will mean, Sai?" Naruto twisted a piece of grass around his finger. "If we play our cards right we can keep you out of ROOT, and save your brother."

Sai smiled. "That's true. _If_ we play our cards right… and then you can save Sasuke." The painter smiled albeit crookedly. "I guess there'll be no need for me to be the replacement anymore!" Naruto glanced at him. "We don't think of you as a 'replacement,' Sai." At the dark-haired boy's skeptical and pointed look, he hastily amended, "Well, we did. But you're our teammate now as much as Sasuke ever was!" Naruto frowned. "Technically, we've spent more time with you than with Sasuke!" Naruto looked confused. "When did that happen?" He muttered under his breath.

"But Sasuke is very special to you," Sai pointed out. "Because he was your first bond."

Naruto looked down, his eyes dark. "Yeah… Bonds."

"That's excellent." Sai smiled brightly. "It's outstanding to know that if any of us did something like the thing that that thing did, you would do the same thing you're doing now."

"Huh?" Naruto looked confused, but the ex-ROOT just smiled and put his hands behind his head.

"Nothing."

* * *

"Chouji! Checklist! Rice?" Sakura called out, her check board held in front of her.

"Check!"

"Noodles?"

"Check!"

"Dried meat?"

"Check!"

"Corn?"

"Check!"

"Wheat?"

"Check!"

"Rations?"

"Check!"

"Ino! Medical supplies! Bandages?"

"Check?"

"Herbs?"

"All ready and complete!"

"A simple check will suffice, Ino."

"Oh, sorry!"

"No problem. Burn salves?"

"Check!"

"_Ramen_??"

"Chec… Naruto!"

"Don't say random things, baka!"

"Itaaiii! That hurt Sakura-chaan! And it wasn't random! What about the Ramen?"

"What about Icha Icha Paradise! They aren't written in the future… past! Are they packed! Are they safe! Do we have them? Oh no! We can't leave yet until they are all packed! Sak—"

Whump!

"_Kakashiiiii!!"_

"Sakura-chan is _scaarry!"_

"But what about the Ramen!"

"Naruto! We can buy Ramen in town! Calm down!"

"Oh… But what about my sleeping cap, Mr. Mooshie! We can't leave him behind!"

"Mr. Mooshie?" Echoed Neji, Ino and Chouji. And this guy was eighteen?

* * *

The cart was finally packed, the seal was ready, and all, even Kakashi, were gathered and prepared.

The seal was large. Actually, it was humongous. It stretched thirty feet in diameter and was shaped like a gigantic star with eleven points – one for every shinobi. Kanji and strange designs filled the interior. In the center was a circle where they placed their belongings and the wagon.

As one they moved to the points of the seal where they turned facing inwards.

"On the count of three," Naruto called out. "One, two… this is the last chance for anyone to back out!... Three."

The group rapidly began making seals, each one responsible for their own. Their movements were synchronized, every movement in perfect tune with the others. As they formed seals, the wind began to rise, kicking up dirt and debris. It swirled around them like a tornado. It spun faster and faster, the whistling becoming a roar. Their hair began to spin and wave as the wind blew threw it. Clothes whipped around their bodies, and the ropes on the wagon began to strain against the tarp. However, none of the ninja even broke a stride in their seal-making. They didn't even seem to notice.

They formed the last seal and at once the wind stopped. Not even a breeze remained.

Kiba shifted.

And suddenly, everything went to Hades.

* * *

Shikamaru groaned. What a rush. Time traveling was so troublesome! Why did all these bothersome things happen? If the world decided just to live in peace and harmony and watch the clouds twenty-four seven that would be great. Of course, then he would be out of a job… Troublesome.

He grunted and rolled onto his side. Well… now he knew why no one ever did something like that twice. The adrenaline rush could kill you. Cracking his back, he stood up. It was night, and the moon hung like a gigantic silver medallion while stars shone above him silently. The only sound was the wind which brushed through the trees which surrounded the circular clearing. He glanced down and frowned. Shikamaru knelt silently.

Burned into the ground were the lines and runes of the seal. It was as if someone had taken a blow torch and cut into the ground. Shikamaru sighed. _And of course this is going to be hard to hide. You know, if everyone would just be peaceful, and keep their noses in their own businesses we wouldn't have to worry about this troublesome stuff! Dang it!_

He walked over to the nearest of the shapes on the ground and recognized it as Kiba. Of course, Kiba had been beside him… interesting. He could have sworn they had gotten thrown around when… whatever _it_ was happened.

_It_ had been terrifying, adrenaline rushing, thrilling, and mysterious. _It_ had picked them up like grains of chaft and tossed them around as if they were nothing. _It_ had carried them along in a blue, whirlpool-like tunnel as the landscape changed and mutated before them.

Shikamaru muttered under his breath as he shook Kiba's shoulder.

"Oi! Kiba! We're here. Get up." Kiba groaned and buried his head under his arms. "Go 'way, Sh'no. Too e'ly t' train." He rolled over. Shikamaru twitched and kicked him. "Kiba! Up! Sit! Roll over!"

Kiba sprang up, surprised. "Shikamaru? What are you…"

He looked around, face brightening in comprehension. "_Oh…_" Kiba's face fell. "Oh." By this time, Shikamaru was already by Sakura's side. Kiba got up and made his way over to Naruto. Next was Sai. Naruto and Kiba paused a foot away and Naruto picked up a stick. Gingerly he tapped Sai.

"Er, Sai! We're here… wake up now… Sai?" The stick was abruptly snatched and snapped. Sai sprang to his feet, his eyes dark, while Naruto quickly backtracked with hands held high. "Whoa! Calm down, painter boy! No enemies here!"

A crunch and a whump behind them showed that Sai wasn't the only one high strung. Kiba winced in sympathy for Shikamaru as the lazy boy groaned and writhed on the floor. The good part was that the racket managed to wake up the rest of the band, if make them a little edgy. _Yes, no nosebleed for me!_

"Ohhh," Ino groaned, holding her head gingerly. "What a rush. I have a headache the size of the Hokage Mountain in an earthquake!" She staggered to her feet, hissing as pain exploded in her frontal lobe. "Kami! Sakura, you up?"

"Uhn."

"Feel like giving a quick fix?"

"Ugh…" Sakura sat up slowly. "Did you get the license of the ninja that ran me over?"

Kakashi sighed. _It's good to know they've still got a sense of humor. Though, you'd think they'd be more aware…_

Neji picked up Hinata and placed her on the cart. She accepted the seat gratefully. Her hair was a mess, she noted absently. She yawned tiredly and rubbed her eyes. The trip had taken a lot out of her, as opposed to Naruto, who had jumped on the cart beside her and was talking at four miles a minute.

"Wasn't that so cool, Hinata-chan! It was like, whoo, and then it when Whoosh! And Kiba whet, AAAAh! And you went, _Kiba!_ And then the ground went Grooooo, an' the seal was like, Foosh! And Fire! And then the big phoenix went zoom and eeeekkk and then Kyuubi was like – _it's Garakax! _And then Garakax went phsooo, and then the _gigantic whirlpool!"_ Naruto grinned. "That was _soo_ cool."

Hinata smiled at him. That was Naruto. What the others would see as a terrifying death trap going into the unknown, Naruto would see as a fun ride to adventure. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. He was grinning brightly, his face even more fox like than usual. His rough and tanned hands were firm as they hooked Akamaru up to the wagon (the dog was the only one strong enough to pull it), unlike the hands of everyone else which were shaking with chakra exhaustion. Ino looked ready to faint and she was leaning against Chouji. Chouji didn't really look affected, unless you saw how his feet were dragging. Naruto, on the other hand, looked ready to jump out of his skin.

However, despite his hyperactive exterior, Naruto was well aware of how the other ninja were holding up. _They're tired. Chakra exhaustion most likely. They won't make it much farther but we have to get to the caves today…_ He jumped off of the wagon. "Okay, let's take shifts. Who's on the edge of exhaustion… no need for valor here! Come on!"

With a resigned look Ino raised her hand. While she might be great while inside the Interrogation office, and her fighting skills were jounin level, her stamina was terrible. Naruto helped her up onto the wagon where she collapsed gratefully. Sai raised his hand as well, but was quickly glared down when it became obvious he wasn't tired. In the end, Kakashi, who had used his Sharingan too much during The Battle and was still worn out even _before_ the jutsu, Kiba who had to share chakra to help Akamaru come along, and Shikamaru, whose chakra resources were terrible, got onto the cart. Every thirty minutes the people riding would switch out.

Every two hours they paused so Akamaru could take a break and eat. These breaks were the longest and most welcome, as the shinobi quickly collapsed on the ground in exhaustion. Time traveling had taken a lot out of them.

By the end of the third break even Naruto was getting tired. It could be a study, he sullenly reflected, about how one got so much more tired the slower the journey was.

Shikamaru, who had flopped down beside him, sighed. "This is troublesome business. We do know where we're going, right? After all, the terrain's changed a lot…"

Naruto froze.

"Er…" He scratched his head. "I-I think…"

Shikamaru glanced at him. "You do realize that if they think we've been going in circles we'll have a mutiny on our hands, right?"

Naruto laughed nervously. "Ah, don't worry! I know where we're going!"

Shikamaru looked skeptical.

"Yo!" Kakashi landed in front of them, his hand up in greeting. "We're almost there."

"Huh?" Naruto asked while Kakashi grinned.

"Unlike you, I actually know my way around here. Thirty years hasn't changed much." He stood up. "Okay, ladies! We have only another mile to go and we're there! Break's over!"

A chorus of groans filled the air.

"Kakashi, have a heart!" Kiba groaned. He gingerly picked himself off of the spot where he had fallen. "We've traveled eighteen miles in three hours. _By walking_. With _chakra exhaustion._"

"Now, dog boy, are you a shinobi or not?" Kakashi asked.

"Not!" Kiba responded petulantly.

Kakashi's eyes turned into the upside down 'U's. "Well then," he said cheerfully, "You can stay here while we go ahead."

* * *

When they finally reached the caves, everyone, even Naruto fell to the ground in exhaustion. Chouji crawled over to a wall and fell asleep immediately while Ino used him as a pillow to put her aching feet. Lee wasn't really tired, but he did everything with his fire of youth, so he fell asleep where he stood. Neji carried Hinata over to another wall and then fainted in a 'dignified' fashion. He had refused any and all carriage rides – heaven knows why.

Naruto sighed as he set up a campfire. He would take the first watch as he had the most stamina. Quite frankly, he was amazed at how much that jutsu had taken out of them. Having the most chakra reserves meant he wasn't as tired, but the rest of the shinobi only had the "normal" chakra levels. This meant that they were effectively drained. Add a several mile trek with still-unhealed injuries and mental and emotional wounds and… He was impressed.

Naruto sighed as he sat down by the newly made fire. Five days, and he still couldn't grasp it. His world was gone.

He picked up a stick and idly traced designs on the ground. It felt so weird to know that he didn't have to expect an attack at any moment. Orochimaru… had he betrayed the village yet? No, or at least, not officially. Thus, he didn't have to worry about that pervert attacking them. No one knew about the Kyuubi except for the ten people behind him, so no random people wanting to get rid of the "Demon" would be attacking him.

However… so many friends had died and so many friends had been left behind. Naruto drew a line through his drawings. The sand parted like water, quickly falling back into itself.

Sand.

Gaara.

Naruto's face was thoughtful and subdued. Gaara. The Kazekage. His friend. His fellow jinchuriki. His brother in arms…

He sighed and put his head on his knees. _Gaara… gomenasai. It seems I won't be able to help you with the political battle you're in now. But, they love you so you'll be okay._ He glanced behind him. _I have to protect my precious people now._

He felt tired so he got up to pace. It was already time for Sai to take the next watch but Naruto knew the short-haired youth needed his rest so Naruto resigned himself to a long night_. They had better appreciate this._

Behind him, Chouji shifted, his face creasing as he muttered. Soon his voice escalated, and his movements jerked Ino, waking her. The blond girl froze as she woke, her hand flying to the blades in her pouch, before glancing up to meet Naruto's eyes. Jaw tight, she gently brushed the hair back from Chouji's tear-streaked face and began singing soothingly to quiet him. Her fingers which had so often been rough with prisoners were soothing and gentle as they ran through his brown hair. As Naruto watched, Chouji's face relaxed and his chest slowed its heaving. When she judged that Chouji was in peace again, Ino turned her haunted gaze to Naruto.

Lips tight, he nodded to her. He wouldn't mention it. Ever. Nodding back, the girl lay back down, falling quickly back into dreamland. Naruto returned to his watch as if nothing had happened.

* * *

"You didn't wake me up."

Naruto glared up at the painter. "Yes, yes, I'm sorry! Next time I want to be friendly, I'll restrain my impulse!"

"You didn't wake me up." Sai was not happy. At all. "That was stupid. Did you think I wasn't up to it? Did you think I was too _weak?"_

Sakura stood beside Sai with her arms crossed and a scowl twisting her face. "That had better not be it, _Na-ru-to_."

"Alright, alright already! Hmph!" Naruto sulked. "Do someone a favor and they return it negative ten!"

To Naruto's dismay, only four people were impressed with his favor. The other six were insulted and they took pleasure at reminding him in all hours of the day.

Actually, Naruto had noticed that people had been giving him a lot of grief today over various things.

Subtle resistance in Kiba to gathering firewood, a sudden hearing defect in Lee, and frozen gazes from Neji; Chouji cooking even when Naruto asked him to help with the bedding, and Sai's blunt refusal to help, choosing to paint instead. Ino ignoring him in favor of complaining about no plugs to plug in her hair straightener, and how her i-pod wasn't working, only to be met by Sakura's incredulous, "You brought that thing?"

Naruto knew what it was. He was their new leader and they were testing him, perhaps even subconsciously. Not only this, but he knew that some part of them blamed Naruto for getting them into this mess. Not to sound arrogant but Naruto knew that they had all trusted him to get them _and_ Konoha out of the War alive and whole.

He didn't. Hadn't. Naruto's fist clenched until his nails drew blood. _Couldn't_.

But he didn't blame them for it. Naruto had studied human behavior too long for that. Too long not to expect it. Life on the streets, where you survived another week depending on the goodwill of strangers and by reading reactions to judge whether or not it was safe to approach had taught him this. Time leading troops out of a defeat had taught him this. Life itself had taught him this.

Shikamaru grunted and stood up from where he was basking in the sun, a cigarette drooping from his mouth unlit. "Break it up," He drawled lazily. "We have stuff to do."

Sending a final glare over their shoulders, Sai and Sakura marched off, leaving the bemused blond behind.

Naruto glanced over at the Nara, an eyebrow raised. The lazy nin met his eyes for a second before casually glancing over at Chouji and Ino. Naruto's eyes softened. Shikamaru nodded at him before walking over to arrange the remaining bed, calling for Chouji to help him. While there was no way Shikamaru was going to undermine Naruto's authority and cause conflict, giving their companions a little nudge every once in a while wasn't bad.

Naruto smiled gratefully even as he shoved himself into Lee's way in order to get his attention.

You could always count on a Nara to be dependable.

Leaving the suddenly sound sensitive Lee behind and rapidly approaching a sullen Neji, Naruto decided that he would let them have their rebellion for one day. One day to get their feet, one day to get it out of their system. After that, the law was going down.

* * *

Sai unrolled the time chart on the sandy ground where it was illuminated by the light streaming in from the doorway. The scroll stretched thirty feet and was three feet wide. Scribblings and handwriting dotted the paper along with lines and smiley faces. With a sigh Kakashi knelt beside it. "We went back a little further than we thought. We are approximately twenty three years in the past – So! We have three years until the Yondaime is appointed Hokage and four years until Kyuubi attacks. Orochimaru abandons Konoha halfway between those two. That means we have two years extra. That's a blessing. We can use those years to establish our identities and make connections. When planning our identities, Shikamaru, Ino and Hinata came up with a cover and Naruto approved it." He nodded to Naruto who pushed himself off of the wall.

"Here's the deal, gang. We can't just show up at Konoha and proclaim ourselves ninja. Right now Konoha's in the middle of the Third Shinobi war – thus, no trust. And even if we somehow _magically_ got their trust, this would annul our contact in other villages which would cause several of our other planned changes to fall through. Therefore, we have to have an identity which allows us to remain independent to any village yet still have the freedom to roam. Hence, we came up with…" He paused dramatically, "Shinobi Merchants!"

"Huh?" Kiba's eloquent statement summed up the question on everyone's faces.

Naruto's face fell. "Don't you get it? Shinobi… merchant? Merchant shinobi?" He sighed, shoulders drooping.

"Basically, we pose as civilians selling things to shinobi villages. Tapestries, food, paintings, pet care… essentially we become a caravan that sells and performs in shinobi _and_ civilian villages. This way we eventually avoid suspicion. Not only that but we invent _tragic pasts," _He struck a dramatic pose. "So that if anyone recognizes that we've had ninja training we have an alibi. Such as we say we came from a hidden village that was destroyed before it could make its name known. Sadly, this isn't that uncommon."

He saw their faces clearing. Now they got it.

"I see!" Sakura exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "This way our movements won't be monitored as closely by the time we're ready to make our moves!"

"Right!" Kiba exclaimed. "Plus it will give us something to do."

"Yosh!" Lee cried, jumping up and striking the good guy pose. "And we shall also use this opportunity to refurnish our _flames of youth_ so that our departed friends can look down on us with the tears of pride! We shall become stronger by the _blood of our hands and the sweat of our brow!_ And if this doesn't work, I shall run around Kono… er, the mountain four times on my thumbs! No, seven times! Make that _twenty_! Gai-sensei, I shall make you proud!" Flames shone from his eyes while Neji groaned, cradling his head in his hands while the rest of the Konoha Survivors looked on in sympathy.

_This is why we need Tenten. She could always calm him down without resorting to violence!_

He reached over and slammed his fist into the back of the Gai clone's knee. "Urusai, Lee! You'll do no such thing. You're going to sit down and rest because you have the least chakra of any of us, and I'm amazed you weren't killed by that whirlpool thing!"

Lee's eyes welled up with tears. "Gai-sensei, Neji-kun's heart is finally defrosting! Perhaps he is embracing the warmth of the flames of _yooouuth!"_

Neji groaned. "Hopeless."

Hinata couldn't help herself and fell over giggling and laughing.

* * *

"Hinata."

The girl turned around, her long hair floating around her. Silver and kind eyes lit upon her role model as he walked out of the cave into the sun. "How soon can you start making tapestries?"

"I can start immediately. The loom you made for me works wonderfully." She smiled. "I'm glad it can be used for something other than just for me. I always felt a little selfish having so much fun with it back in Konoha."

Naruto looked at her. "I made it for you, Hinata. Actually, I'm the one who should apologize for you having to sell the things you've made." He glared at her. "And you have no reason to feel selfish! Did you even keep one of the tapestries you made?"

Hinata smiled. "Ah, I always kept my favorite one."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Really, which one was that?"

To his bemusement she blushed darkly. "No..nothing! Besides, it was destroyed in the ransack of the Hyuuga House…" The Hyuuga Clan Head, now head of only one person, lowered her eyes. She had been trying to forget that.

Naruto, his blond locks tossed by the wind, frowned as he hadn't wanted to remind her either. Hinata had taken the Hyuuga massacre hard, and had been inconsolable for two weeks afterwards. The elected leader of the Konoha survivors and thus the Rokudaime still remembered Hinata's face when they had come upon the burning compound. Though they searched for hours the only survivors were those who had been away – Hinata and Neji. In that one moment the strongest doujutsu in Konoha was nearly wiped out because the clan elders had been to _stubborn _to move away from the walls.

No comfort could be given, so Naruto turned to the next best option. _Distraction_.

"Hey, Hinata, did you know that the faster we get things to sell the sooner we'll have ramen? Of course, we're gonna send a team in first to make sure it's secure, just like civilian travelers would do," Naruto mimicked, "But hey! We'll have _ramen_ to eat! What should we get first? Miso ramen? Or, maybe… pork! Pork ramen is good!"

* * *

They were sitting around eating the meat from the deer that Neji had killed when Sai sighed. "Have any of you realized yet that we've shrunk?"

There was silence before Sakura admitted. "Yes, I've noticed, but I hoped it was my imagination." She glanced over at Kakashi. "However, Kakashi seemed taller, so…"

Naruto exhaled and flung his bone into the corner. "It's not that we've gotten smaller, it's that we've gotten _younger_." He glanced around the room. "You guys really haven't figured it out yet?" Sakura looked a bit embarrassed.

However, some of them, such as Shikamaru and Kakashi didn't look surprised.

"I would say," Shikamaru stated. "That we are around two to three years younger. The scroll mentioned that we would decrease in age and grow slower until our goals were complete."

"Until the time when we left." Kakashi elaborated.

Kiba snorted. "Tch, if feels as if we're in a mixture of _Back to the Future_ and _Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves."_

Slowly, the rest of the shinobi turned to Naruto.

"Anything _else_ you want to tell us?" Neji growled, annoyed. He had been rather proud of his height.

"Why are you blaming this on me?" Naruto exclaimed, throwing his hands up. "You were the ones who wanted to come along!"

* * *

Hinata frowned in concentration as she formed another knot. Three tapestries had already been finished. Two more and they would have enough to sell. She sighed and cracked her back. Several crashes, bangs and swearing erupted from the outside but Hinata ignored them with a practiced ear. After two weeks it no longer startled or amused her. She selected another color, a vibrant emerald hue of green and set about making the leaves of the tree. It was one of her finest works yet, even if she _did_ have to say so herself…

It was a tapestry of one of the Hyuuga courtyards where Hinata had played when she was younger. White stones paving the ground while clear, blue water sprouted from a silver fountain, and abundant bushes sprouting from garden plots – a childhood wonderland. She remembered when she was a child she would go to the courtyard and wander through the tall reeds that grew on the edge of the indoor pond. She would sing quietly the nursery rhymes that her mother once sang to her, drawing comfort from her childish voice. When she grew tired of her singing she would lay down in the flower bed, something she was often reprimanded for, and watch the clouds above her as the flowers swung with the breeze.

After Hinata's kidnapping she had been restricted to the compound and hardly ever left except for in the company of her guards. However, in this enclosed court yard that was filled with greenery and life, she could lay on her back and pretend that there were no white walls sealing her in. Out of sight, out of mind, and the only thing she could see was the deep blue of the sky with white fluffy clouds reflecting the setting sun. Often she fell asleep there only to wake up in her bed the next morning wondering how she had gotten here. Once she had woken up to see the face of her father as he picked her up. His face had been the softest she had ever seen it.

She had felt so safe and secure in his arms, feeling the gentle rumble of his voice deep in his chest as he spoke to the guards at his side. She wondered if this was the first time he had done this, and decided to believe it wasn't. It made her feel so safe to have him find her and take her to her bed. It was one of her treasured memories.

After the war had started, the Hokage had asked the clan to move away from the compound. The small courtyard had been the only thing that drew Hinata to that place which she could hardly call a home. However the elders and family members were less than willing, and despite her appeals they had voted to remain there. Hinata couldn't deny that perhaps she was a little bit happy to still have her safe haven to turn to when the war got bad. It had been one of the things that had kept her going after her father's abrupt and violent death, and after the loss of her body guard and friend, Sato-san. It was the place she could go to cry and remember. She could go to the courtyard and feel safe from the world, like a fragile egg which was wrapped in cotton and velvet.

If Hinata could have had her way, she would have never left there. Day in and day out after the guerrilla war went straight to hell, she could be found lying on the side of the enclosed pool, her long, white finger trailing through the water slowly. It had been four weeks after her father's death, a week since the death of her guard, and three weeks since her sister had been found in the forest with fatal injuries. Hinata had managed to say goodbye before Hanabi slipped away. Hanabi's death had never seemed appropriate to Hinata. Somehow, the elder Hyuuga heir had always though that Hanabi would die with a lot of fanfare and explosions at the end of a great battle.

Everybody breaks, Hinata knew. It was during that time when Hinata had reached her breaking point. She had been willing to cast away all hope and strength to huddle in that little courtyard with the memory of her deceased family as her only companion.

Fortunately, Hinata mused as she pulled a scarlet thread to make the petal of an up-close flower, Naruto hadn't been willing to allow her to remain there. She still remembered him coming in and sitting beside her, silent and steady, waiting for her to speak. Stubborn and knowing what he wanted to say but not prepared to hear it, she had ignored him in favor of braiding her long hair. She remembered trying to pin it up, but her hands shook so hard that she couldn't get to get a senbon to go through the dark tresses. Naruto had moved behind her, his rough hands gently sorting through the tangles and rat nests until he was able to twist it up. He didn't use a clasp, she recalled with a smile, preferring to keep it up with chakra. When he had finished, Hinata had turned away, brushing back tears roughly.

"_You can't hide here forever, Hinata. You're stronger than that."_ His words echoed in her mind even after he had left. Later she sensed the familiar brush of Shino's chakra as he entered the room to pull her out to eat, promising that he and Kiba would split the bill. Hinata looked around the courtyard and silently thanked it for its comfort, before turning away and following Shino out while listening to his report on the happenings in the village.

Two months later she saw the courtyard again, but it had been a smoldering heap of charcoal and ash. The fountain had been smashed, the pond poisoned. Instead of clear blue water it was filled with murky black sludge and the bodies of her clansmen. Instead of the scent of flowers and grass the air reeked of burnt flesh. Instead of a soothing breeze the air was the hot burning of fire. Instead of peace and comfort she was in the middle of a nightmare.

Hinata started, shocked to realize that she had been caught up in memories, her hands folded in her lap. Shaking and giving herself a firm reprimand, she picked up her thread again.

The swearing was still going on? What was happening out there?

* * *

Naruto was ready to kill someone painfully. And he would enjoy doing it to – painfully. "_Where are they_?"

Kakashi was late, which wasn't that surprising. What _was_ surprising was that _Lee_ was late too, as was Chouji. Lee was _never_ late, something that he prided himself for, and Chouji didn't like to keep others waiting.

Naruto sighed and put down the hammer. Trying to build wagons was… well, not tiring but taxing even _with_ the Kage Bunshin. And he could use someone else's input on how to build it. After all, how was _he_ supposed to know where Chouji's food corner was supposed to come out, and how was _he_ supposed to know where Ino and Sakura wanted the puppet show, and how was_ he _supposed to know where Sai wanted his paintings to be displayed. Naruto groaned as he sat down.

Things had sort of gotten into a routine. Everyone had their jobs, everyone had their place. Naruto smiled a little as his sharp ears picked up the sound of Lee and Neji, before he groaned and felt like kicking himself. _Of course! Lee got moved to work with Neji because Ino didn't trust him with a hammer!_

The two boys were responsible for building the outhouse or an inside bathroom… whichever they agreed on. Apparently, Lee was convinced the outhouse would be more "youthfull" but Naruto definitely agreed with Neji that it would be uncomfortable to get to in times of… great need. As Naruto listened to their argument and retorts, feeling the brotherhood between them, he smiled. Neji, stoic as he was, really was a good guy. He had warmed up quite a bit since the first Chuunin exam all that time ago… was it really five years?

Naruto exhaled. It felt weird to only have to worry about ten people. In the last year and a half he had gotten used to commanding half of the shinobi forces plus the several sections of the village that were under his sole supervision. Naruto grinned as he put his hands behind his back and kicked his feet up, remembering. Tsunade had said it was Hokage training, but Naruto suspected that she was just lazy. However, before Naruto knew it he was recognized as second in command. Even ANBU answered to him. He was respected, looked up to, even (dare he think it) loved.

It felt…

Intimidating.

Daunting and humbling. There were so many people trusting him to make the right decisions at the right moments. So many people were counting on him seeing the solutions. So many friends looked to him for leadership. So many people were counting on him getting them out alive. Humbling… that was the right word. And Naruto had made a promise – in the big things and in the little things he would do his best not to fail them or he would die trying.

And he wouldn't go back on that. After all, that was his nindo.

He picked up his hammer again and started pounding. He had a wagon to finish.

* * *

_Three weeks later…_

Feet landed on the hillside.

The girl gazed down at the village below, her face filled with longing. Blond hair swayed down her back. She glanced behind her. "Are you ready for this?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Her pink-haired companion quipped.

"Yosh!" The other companion said. "Let us show Konoha our flames of youth!"

* * *

TBC…

There is a little purple button down there! Push it and make my day!


	3. A Strange New World

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Hey All! Here is the New and Beta'd Chapter Three! Let's all give **PheonixClaw** a hand!

Comments, suggestions, and constructive critisim always welcome! Remember that all chapters are subject to change.

Disclaimer: I'm just a girl who lives with my parents. If I owned Naruto, I would probably be living in a nice appartment somewhere in the middle of Tokyo city. And I probably wouldn't be going to school either... ;P

* * *

Sakura paused, her foot still in mid air. Her gaze was focused on the village before her. "I can't do this." Her chest heaved, her hands quivered. "I-I can't do this."

"Yes, you can." Ino came up behind her and put her arm around her shoulders. "You can, and you will." The blond sighed. "You told me you were _past_ this, Sakura. You _promised_ Naruto that you would be okay…"

Sakura pulled away. "Of course I did! I wasn't going to make Naruto worry any more than he had to! Especially since he was forced to stay behind." Sakura picked up a stone and hurled it hard. The lethal projectile sunk into the middle of a tree, leaving a hole seven inches deep. "But… You don't understand."

Ino wasn't sure about that. She knew very well what was troubling Sakura.

Sakura had been a medic-nin by choice, not by necessity like Hinata and Ino. She had cared for not only the ninja but for the civilians. Sakura had made it a point to make her patients as comfortable as possible by talking to them, asking questions, and telling them about herself. There was not a single patient be him young or old that she didn't know their entire life story, even if it seemed mundane. As she had told Sai once, "There is a tale in everyone's lives, a precious pearl that you won't find in anyone else."

The children loved her, rushing to meet her instead of running away. Old people loved her, knowing they could talk and talk and talk and she wouldn't tell them to be quiet. Dealing with Naruto had taught her that. Sakura made it a point to get to know each and every person she could as much as was possible.

And then, when the war started, she was forced to see friend after friend and patient after patient die, many of them dying even as she pumped an inhuman amount of chakra into their bodies. Sakura remembered them; she remembered their faces, their stories, their hopes and dreams. She remembered their names.

And she couldn't forgive herself for failing.

This was dangerous as Tsunade had often come to tell her. Tsunade had lectured Sakura constantly about the destructiveness of not distancing oneself. Sakura had been Tsunade's sound box, a person she could rant about all the things gone wrong in her past. Because of this, Sakura knew exactly what had broken the Hokage and driven out her strength for years – It was the deaths of her brother and lover.

However, despite this, Sakura couldn't let go of her failings.

She couldn't forget the face of the seven-year-old boy who had been at the wrong place at the wrong time, who loved puppies and wanted to be a cook. She couldn't forget the old lady who had been retired for years and only wanted to look after her garden, and whose life had been stolen by a cruel Sound-nin.

She couldn't forget shinobi who had been rushed in and placed on her table. She couldn't overlook their looks of resignation because they'd all seen injuries like this before, and knew exactly where it would end. Sakura couldn't escape from the genin teams who had left so hopefull and filled with life, believing that nothing could stop them, only to return with the broken body of a teammate and optimistic looks that tore into her because they believed that she _could_ do something, that she_ would_ do something even though she knew she couldn't.

This was half of the problem. That village, which they were quickly approaching, was filled with people that Sakura thought she had failed. It was filled with people that Sakura thought she should have been able to save. It was filled with friends who wouldn't know her.

The other part of the problem extended from that existence which their entire lives seemed to revolve around nowadays: Naruto.

_Tch._ Ino didn't know when exactly it had occurred, but Sakura had begun to notice the attitude toward Naruto. It happened soon after Sakura had discovered Naruto's secret. At the time, only she and Shikamaru had known about Kyuubi, Team Gai had found out while rescuing Gaara, and the rest of the Konoha Nine were just beginning to see the reactions of the villagers and start questioning the behaviors of their parents.

Sakura quickly became appalled as she watched people she had respected from childhood as decent, caring, kind role models, turn into a child's worst nightmare. As she watched in newly opened and shocked eyes, the kind faces of her mentors twisted with hate and disgust. As she stared in horror, the people who acted so kind to her when she entered their stores closed the doors in her teammate's face. Soon, Sakura became almost bitter and disillusioned. Naruto saw what was happening, and even though it felt nice to for once have someone on his side, he begged her to lay aside her resentment and anger.

Perhaps, Ino reflected as she put a hand on Sakura's arm, it had been the mixture of both these things which had caused Sakura to snap. Which had caused her almost to refuse treatment of anyone in the "older generation," to insult the elders, to rebel… It had been a horrible four months. A no good, terrible, horrible four months until Sakura was suitable to tend to people again. Even then, she only tended to people who she had never _seen_ do things to Naruto.

Ino glanced back at Lee, who was for once quiet and begged silently for his help. Despite his appearance, Lee _was_ wise. The green-clad teen moved to come in front of cherry-headed girl. "Sakura, I know it makes you angry. I know it makes you sad. It makes me angry too… but the people down there are innocent, and they are the same people whose life stories you've heard. You have a chance to change those stories for the better, and a chance to save the lives of those you think you've failed."

Sakura kept her gaze firmly on the ground. "Sakura." Lee insisted, ducking to meet her eyes. Slowly, one side of her mouth stretched to a wry smile.

"I guess… I need to let go, don't I." She said ruefully. Lee grinned.

"That is my Sakura-chan! Filled to the brim with the _power of youth which will guide her on her journey to seeking the goodness in the hearts of men even as she blossoms into—"_

Ino slammed her fist onto his head. "Shut up."

Sometimes, Lee's brand of wisdom wasn't the best choice.

* * *

_Konoha_

The chuunin looked up to see three figures approaching the gates. He reached over and tapped his companion on the shoulder to wake him. Rouma grunted and opened his eyes. His legs remained firmly propped up on the desk, however, Ryu knew that the moment Rouma sensed any danger, he would be ready. The figures continued to come closer. They made no attempt to hide themselves, but their movements made him worried. Their feet grazed upon the ground hardly leaving a mark. Their strides were graceful and confident. They carried themselves almost warily. They carried themselves like shinobi.

Rouma tightened his hand around a kunai. Ryu motioned him off. "Don't alert them to our suspicions. Better to let them hang themselves." Rouma silently acknowledged his point and forced himself to relax. If they were spies… well… they wouldn't last long. The Yellow Flash was in town.

They were dressed strangely, Sakura mused. It felt weird to be in "civilian clothes" after all these years. Boots, blue jeans, a black tee-shirt with the words '_It wasn't me!' _and her white trench coat. No weapons unless you counted her fists.

Ino was in a purple short-sleeve embroidered shirt and khakis – definitely _not_ shinobi clothes. Lee was posed as their companion/bodyguard, so he was able to wear at least some clothing in which fighting was possible, but even then… They all felt vulnerable.

None of them wore their headbands, obviously, and it felt so strange. It felt as if she had cut off one of her arms and left it behind. Lee had taken leaving his hiate behind especially hard, having inherited Gai's red headband after his death. Lee had never gone anywhere without it after Gai's death a year and a half ago. Or was it in twenty years? Gah! Sakura's face twisted. _Time traveling is so confusing!_

And Ino had on tennis shoes of all things! Those impractical, unsteady monstrosities! Of course, boots weren't much better, she figured.

Sakura focused on the village. It looked so… new and carefree, and yes, she could see the signs of the war which marred this time but still, it was a far cry from the smoldering wreckage that Orochimaru had left in his wake.

Lee already had an extra spring in his step, only noticeable if you had been around him for as long as she had. Ino was almost skipping, her face becoming more carefree than Sakura had seen in a long time. It was interesting what coming home could do…

Lee felt himself becoming more cheerful, more dare-he-think-it-of-course-he-did youthful.

_However, this time, _Lee thought,_ it isn't just referring to attitude. It feels as if years have rolled off my shoulders. Ino and Sakura look so young now and I don't mean because they're fifteen either. Ino… she's had to deal with a lot in the last year with taking care of Sakura. And Sakura… well, perhaps this will allow her to let go of the past and _embrace the springtime of youth!_ Not very likely, however._ He sighed ruefully. Some people just didn't get it._ Gai-sensei! I hope somewhere you are proud of me! Today, I will strive to make a better world for you, one where sadness isn't something shown often on your face._

The gates were fast approaching, and Lee knew they would just come _oh so much sooner _if they could just _run!_ However, going incognito meant that nothing could link them to being shinobi.

There were, naturally, subtle signs that Lee knew they weren't hiding, but no one could truly hide the signs of a trained fighter, especially one which had seen battle. That, Lee knew, would always be seen in the shadows of the eyes, the hardness around the mouth, the cautious looks at bushes and the way one set ones back to a wall. It was seen in slightly twitchy hands that inched to an imaginary pouch that _just wasn't there._ It was seen in the melancholy and far off looks towards better times that everyone, even him, was subject to. Lee had even seen Naruto - cheerful, youthful, and rebounding Naruto pause and sit frozen, staring at his hands as if he were seeing them for the first time.

Lee knew what he was seeing.

Sometimes, Lee saw it himself – the deeds that weren't suitable for remembering, much less mentioning. The sins that they had committed while in the 'line of duty.' Lee knew that Naruto, more than anyone else other than _maybe_ Sai was well aware of all the genin he had cut down – genin who hadn't even stood a chance against the experienced jounin.

Sai was more aware simply because he had been in that life for as long as he could remember. Sai had been trained to be an emotionless weapon since the age of three. Sai knew… darker things than the rest, which he thankfully kept mostly to himself. However, the things that Sai inevitably _did_ reveal…

They made Lee shudder to even think that there was someone so twisted, so – _unyouthful_ – that they could do those deeds to a child. It made him gasp in horror to know that those people had claimed allegiance to Konoha and that the village that he stepped closer to with every passing second was almost under their control. At the same time… Naruto's situation had made him realize that not all humans were as good as they… well, let's leave it at that.

Where was he? Oh yes, the signs of a shinobi…

However, by this time it was irrelevant. The guards had probably seen them – should have seen them a while ago if they were worth their salt – and had probably marked down anything suspicious. That is, if methods of conduct were the same now as fifty years ago. Er. Later.

_Tch! Time travel!_

Well, it was time to see how things would go from now on. As Ino had once said, "It was time to face the music."

Rouma could feel his muscles tense. What was it about them that set him off? Traders came less than usual, true, but they still came. They were a shinobi village, after all. They had to make money somehow, so customers were still regular. It wasn't rare for some unknowing family to come to a shinobi village when it was at war. After all, shinobi needed to keep these sorts of things away from the public.

However… something just set him on edge. Even as the children, for children they were he could now see, something just rubbed him wrong. Of course… It might just be that boy.

_Who on earth wears that horrid shade of green! If it were spandex, I could swear he was an older version of…_ Rouma cut off that line of thought. He shook his head rapidly. However, masochism is more fun when shared, so Rouma turned to his partner.

"Oi, Ryo… Is it just me or does that boy look a lot like-"

"_Don't say anything."_ The jounin hissed. "I'm trying not to think of that, thank you. All he needs is spandex and…" Simultaneously, both of them shuddered. What horrors that particular Konoha Chuunin must have gone through to turn out like that.

Ryo sighed. "They're almost here. You'd think that if they were shinobi, they'd at least do us the courtesy of arriving quickly. Mendokuse!" Ryu grumbled as he stood up and straightened his hiate. Or that is, he tilted it more off kilter. Calloused hands, used to wielding a sword, brushed off his jounin vest. He picked up the jug of sake and set it on the table. "Let's make them a little loosed tongued, right? Rouma?"

Rouma groaned. _Why do _I_ always have to be the drunk?_

* * *

Ino paused in mid step, her face a humorous display of bemusement, bewilderment, and astonishment. A grin spread over her face and she hopped over to the desk, falling easily into the role of a normal, hyper fifteen year old civilian girl.

"Ooohh!" She said splaying her hands on the desk and leaning forward, her eyes fixed on the chuunin who was _acting_ drunk. _Acting. Always acting. Always…_ She forced the thoughts out of her head to focus on playing her role. Spunky to the extreme, she asked, "Is he drunk?" She put a finger on her cheek. "Never been around a drunk guy before… well, at this time of the day anyway!" Was it her imagination, or did they just tense. Of course it wasn't. She wasn't top interrogator for looking hot, after all. They were suspicious.

"My daddy, now, he got drunk around seven every night! Not to mention my brothers! You better get him some headache medicine, or else he's gonna have a hangover the size of a horse!" She giggled. "Daddy now, he got real temperamental when he got a hangover."

Sakura sighed. "What are you talking 'bout, Ino? You're just as temperamental as your daddy was. Only his bad day is a great one compared to yours." Ino's face fell and she scowled.

"_What did you say, forehead girl."_ Sparks flew between them, and then they turned away in a huff. However, in a second, both girls were leaning on the desk again.

"But really, should he be drunk this early in the day? I would think that that would be…" Both girls paused before chorusing. "Troublesome!" Lee bounded up behind them.

"Ino! Haruka! Not only that, but by being drunk so early in the day means that this poor soul has some deep scar and is trying to drown it! We must attempt to _revive his flames of youth which are being crushed by—"_

Ino clamped a hand around Lee's mouth. "_Leeeeee." _Ino knew, _just knew_, that the shudder which had run through the guards had been from that comment. Was it possible they knew Gai? They seemed disturbed enough… "Sorry about that!" She laughed nervously. "My friend here is a little… quirky." She winced. The jounin seemed suddenly much more sympathetic.

"Names?" He asked.

"I'm Nawaki Ino, this is Sato Haruka and this bundle of youth in green cloth over here is Tai Lee." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. Sheesh! He wasn't seriously _this_ gullible, was he? She pushed over her papers even as she noticed the chuunin was suddenly much less drunk and trying hard to still seem so.

_Bingo. Caught you._ She hid a smirk. Some of the oldest tricks in the book. The drunk man first and if that didn't work the sympathetic guard who was _sooo_ gullible. She felt like sighing. _Aren't they in the middle of a war? Shouldn't they be making some new things up? Of course, these old school tactics might be new for them._

The documents were quickly checked out and after a moment the jounin looked up. He glanced at them, and then back down.

"What's a bunch of kids doing so far from home?" He asked, scanning their documents a third time. Sakura stepped forward while Ino conceded her place generously. When putting forward a business proposition, Sakura's assertive nature always worked better, especially now that Ino had established herself as a normal 'hyper' fifteen year old. Sakura's body posture was completely serious, her aura concentrated.

"Business." Sakura started curtly. "I and my companions are part of a group in a caravan. We wish to start a business which specialized in civilian-shinobi trade. Basically, we come for about a week, set up our stall, sell our wares, buy supplies, leave and go to a civilian village. Then we go to another shinobi village, then another civilian village. We are an impartial party – we take no side in any war, and as long as a village will trade with us, we will trade with them."

As the jounin began to open his mouth, most likely to voice protest, Sakura continued. "Of course, we will need permission from your… Hokage? Was it?" Sakura's green eyes met the Konoha nin's caramel straight on. Her back was ramrod straight and her voice was clipped and to the point. The jounin opened his mouth again, only to stop. He shook his head in amusement.

"What makes you think that Konoha will want anything to do with an "impartial party." For all we know, you could be scouts in Iwa's pay to see Konoha's defenses."

"When we said "impartial party," we meant," Sakura leaned forwards. "Im-par-tial party. We will neither trade, nor talk, nor give hints about a village to another village – be they friends or foes. Nor will we carry messages, nor will we sell better quality of things to one village and not to another." She looked straight at him, her eyes sharp. "Besides, accept or deny us, that isn't your choice is it? I assume that the similar dress between you two mean that you are not the Hokage. While I realize you are fully within your authority to deny us into the city, you can't deny our business proposition. Only the Hokage can do that."

* * *

Rouma had to fight not to laugh. Ryo-san was getting dressed down by a fifteen year old civilian! And a girl too! It was too funny.

She wasn't… disrespectful, exactly, but she was forceful. And Rouma knew from experience that Ryo responded to force with force. Thus, Rouma was surprised when Ryo burst out laughing. And not chuckles, but deep belly-aching laughs.

The laughter slowed down to a chuckle and Ryo looked down to the girl before him.

"You've got spirit girl!" He said between chuckles. "You remind me of my Mokoto." He smiled. "Okay. Rouma! I think I can guard the gate while you take these _business_ people to the Hokage tower." Ryo glared at his partner. "However, if you're late, it comes out of you're salary."

Rouma felt as if the air had been knocked out of him. "W-whaaat?" He gasped. "But, but!" He stammered around, gesturing with his hands and mouthing words. Ryo smiled innocently.

"Do you have a problem?" He asked with fake sweetness. Rouma sighed.

"No sir, not at all, sir, why would I sir, I live to serve, si-"

"Oh? You do?" Ryo grinned evilly. "Then why don't you pick up my laundry on the way back, eh?"

Rouma watched helplessly as his paycheck flew away amid a sea of delirious giggles.

* * *

_The Caves_

Naruto spun around to kick the straw dummy. He flipped in the air and came up behind it, raining down punches like a storm. With one final growl he tore the head off.

"Now… What did that poor straw man ever do to you?" Sai asked sardonically, walking into the room. He reached down to pick up the head. "Any particular reason it looks like a fusion of Kakashi and Neji?"

Naruto turned away and stood silently – a quivering package of emotion just waiting to burst. "H-how come they have to be so _rational?_" He growled and hit the wall with a crack. Sai inwardly winced. _That had to hurt._ Sai sighed and walked up beside the blond once-a-man-now-a-boy, whereas the blond leaned his head against the wall silently. Naruto's red flecked eyes watched his hand contemplatively as the bones knit and reformed, the skin already growing back to hide any sign of the injury.

"You know, we're going to have to get used to our teammates going out without us being there controlling the situation." Sai commented calmly, leaning his back against the wall. Dark eyes were fixed on the sky above them, obscured only by stone which jutted out.

Naruto glanced at him from the corner of his eye.

"That doesn't mean I have to like it." He pushed himself off the wall and walked over to scoop up his coat. The coat and pants were all that remained from his original outfit. He wore a bright orange sleeveless shirt as well as a black headband in place of his hiate. He threw on the jacket and reached to secure his weapons pouch before he remembered. _No more weapons pouch_. His fingers curled. _No more safety. _

He could feel Sai's eyes on him, watching, observing, and his gaze as sharp as his pseudonym. Sai – sword. How appropriate. _What's in a name?_

"I just _know_ you're going to rant right now." Sai stated in false exasperation, rolling his eyes. Naruto scowled.

"Shut up. Emo."

"Drama queen."

"Emotion runt."

"Overblown dumb blond."

"Cheesy lout."

"Wind bag."

"Effeminate artist!"

"…Do you really want me to give the logical retort to that?" Sai asked, smiling. Naruto puffed in annoyance.

"Forget it." He made his way towards the exit of the cavern which led back up to their cave dwellings and paused. "Do you think that we're doing the right thing? Being here, in this time?"

"What else could we do?" Sai answered matter-a-factly. "Quite frankly, our chances of surviving without Konoha were very slim. Gaara, I know, would have accepted us because of your friendship with him, but I don't think certain members of our party, including myself, could have lasted long under him. Suna has interesting rules after all." Sai counted off on his fingers. "And then, when we finally left Suna we would have been considered missing-nin's. Then we wouldn't have anywhere to go with a lot of enemies behind. _And then,_ survivor's guilt would grab hold, fling you upside down, and choke you all."

"I notice you didn't include yourself in that…"

"Of course not. I don't feel guilt."

"…_Reaalllyy…."_

* * *

_Konoha_

Ino laughed at a joke the chuunin told her. Rouma was funny! Well, in a quirky, corny sort of way. But oi! She would take what she could get. _Too bad he's taken._ Ino resisted the sudden and compelling urge to sulk. Most of his sentences were taken up with references to Kyoko this, or Kyoko that. Ino sighed. _Well, you just gotta pick your battles, eh._

Ino had one rule when it came to flirting with guys – only go after those who were non-committed. It saved her a lot of trouble, despite being so fun. After all, when you went after a taken guy there was the difficulty of convincing him to flirt back, then the difficulty in urging him to _continue_ flirting back, and then there was the girlfriend who sparked a rivalry which usually ended up with bad rumors for both Ino and the maligned party. Basically, if you were flirting just to flirt – it was too troublesome!

Rouma gestured around him. "Well, this street is the main food section. We have everything from steak to ramen! The dango is good, and the sushi is particularly excellent, but I really recommend the barbecue place over there, if you stay that is." Lee followed Rouma's finger to see the same Barbecue place that Chouji so often spent his time in. He had a lot of memories from there, Lee knew, as did all the other ex-Konoha nins. The barbecue place and the Ichiraku Ramen stand had been chief gathering places, if only because Naruto refused to go without ramen for a week. Lee smiled, albeit sadly. "It is new, isn't it?"

Rouma looked surprised. "Aa! How'd you know?"

"Just a guess…" Lee turned away and continued walking.

Rouma watched him, confused, before shrugging it off. "After we get off this street we'll be near the Hokage Tower."

Lee nodded to him, his eyes intense. "I thank you for your assistance in coming here! I shall hope that you will be able to complete all the tasks your companion gave you! If you do not I shall walk fourteen times down the street on my hands carrying the laundry! And if I cannot, I shall do one hundred push ups with thirty pound weights on my back!"

Rouma shakily nodded his head and tried to smile. _Why did that sound more like a threat?_

Sakura sighed. "Lee, I don't think we have time for that. Not," She hastily added, "That I don't believe Rouma-san can do it, but because we have to get back to the group soon." Lee's shoulders drooped, and he looked at Sakura pleadingly.

"But Haruka-chan! I have to keep up with my training! If not, how will I protect you and Ino if we happen to be attacked?"

Sakura's eyes gleamed. "Why? Do Ino and I _need_ to be protected?"

Lee stammered, clearly recognizing he was on thin ice. In the meantime, Ino ignored them and kept her eyes pealed for any cute boys who happened to be passing by. She walked up and leaned at a stall which was selling herbs. "Yo, hottie! What's up!"

The poor boy looked confused and astonished, even glancing behind him to see if the blond, blue-eyed wonder was _really_ addressing him. "Er… Hi?" She grinned, trying not to make it predatory.

"Whatcha doing?" She fingered some of the herbs. "Do you sell medicine?"

"Some!" The boy's eyes lightened up. "We sell a lot of medicinal herbs, but we also sell herbs such as lavender, or rosemary and ingredients such as parsley. To sum it up, any kind of herb, leaf or scent that you want, we sell." Ino looked fascinated.

"Wow! You really know your stuff!" She smiled. "I'm impressed." The boy blushed, causing Ino to nearly squeal: _he's so cute!_ However, she had matured a lot, somewhat, since Sasuke and she was _not_ going to act like a fan girl.

"Not really." The boy admitted. "I'm still learning from my mom. Dad was…k-killed in the war so I help mom around now." Ino's face sobered. He really was young, she knew. She judged him to be around fourteen or fifteen. Yet… his eyes and smile had the same sad edge that haunted those who had lost loved ones.

"I'm sure that helps her a lot." Ino said sincerely. "Ya know, when my mom was aliv… around, I used to help her in her flower shop! It was so much fun! Do you have any dried…?"

Soon, both were deeply involved in a discussion on herbs and flowers.

* * *

Haruka and Lee weren't doing so well, Rouma noted with a grin. Lee kept digging himself into a bigger hole. Finally, the green wearing boy burst out, "I just meant that I'm going to set a goal for myself!"

Haruka paused in mid sentence. "Oh." She looked a little confused. "Why didn't you say that in the first place?" And just like that she was nice again. Rouma fought the urge to laugh. She really was a spit fire. Especially when she was arguing with the blo—

Where was the blond! He spun around, panic starting to swell. Maybe they were spies! Maybe this 'Ino' was planting bombs and making maps as they spoke! Maybe she was charting their weaknesses, and trying to figure out how to collapse the wall! Maybe she was trying to poison someone's food! Maybe--

He spotted her at the herb stand – a sad, dying business run by a widow and her son. She and Haru seemed to be having a fascinating discussion. Haru was animated, his hands waving around like pistons, while Ino was talking rapidly, her eyes sparkling. And was the blond… flirting? He blinked. She was. A girl that hot was flirting with a guy like… Haru? He grinned. Oh boy. Wait until Kyo heard about _this_. He would never believe it.

Rouma turned to his charge. "Oi! I-Ino-san, right? We need to get going."

The girl didn't seem to hear him, even though Haru glanced up. Rouma sighed and walked forwards. "Oi! You're name's Ino-san right? We got to go to the Hokage Tow…er."

If looks could kill, and Rouma was sure that there was _some_ Kakkai Genkai _somewhere_ that did, Rouma knew he would be six feet under pushing up daises while the shinigami danced the tango over his grave. Who knew such a pretty, delicate thing could glare like that. It was as if her eyes had turned into ice shards! Rouma didn't have to stretch his imagination to feel those shards pierce into his heart and freeze him inside. She was still beautiful, he noted absently, but in a cold, ice queen, cruel wicked witch of the west sort of way. Then, as if it had all been a mask or a bad dream, her face smoothed out, and she spun back to the herb boy.

"My name's Nawaki Ino. Yours is…" She waited expectantly. The boy looked stunned, as if a girl had never asked for his name before. Rouma silently acknowledged that probably none ever had.

"Er… Minasuki. Minasuki Haru."

Ino grinned. "Well, Minasuki Haru-kun, next time I pass by, how about we get a bite to eat." She winked. "Whadaya say?"

With that she turned back to the chuunin, cast a royal glare on him like he was the scum of the earth, and walked over to the other two who were almost but not quite huddled behind a telephone post. Rouma was confused, and turned to Haru. "What just happened?"

However, Haru was on cloud nine, so Rouma decided to ask Lee, who, despite the argument a moment ago, seemed to really know what was going on.

"You interrupted her flirting." Lee answered, as if it were obvious. Rouma looked confused. And how did that explain it? Then he paused. Oh wait… Maybe that was all the explanation needed.

* * *

The boy watched the group with interest. He'd never seen them before! And he knew _everybody._ With a grin he hopped off the stool.

"Oi Rouma-kun! Who've you got there?"

Rouma spun around, his face lighting up when he saw the caller. "Just some guests, Obito-san."

"Ha! I knew I'd never seen them before!" Obito laughed. "Hi! I'm Uchiha Obito! Who are you?"

Sakura felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. Uchiha – Sasuke's family. Obito – Kakashi's teammate.

However, none of this showed on her face – fortunately. Instead, she answered. "Sato Haruka. It's nice to meet you!" Obito grinned at her.

_Wow, _Ino noted,_ He really does kinda does look like Naruto – except with black hair. And dark eyes. And whiter skin. But he has goggles!_ She repressed a giggle.

Obito was, Sakura knew, around ten years old right now. That meant he was a genin having been promoted to chuunin at the age of eleven, only two years before his death.

"What are you doing here?" Rouma asked. "I thought you and your team started missions again today."

"Aa. But right now I'm eating with my team." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder, before asking rapid fire questions about "Who are they?" "What are they doing here?" "How old are you?" "Do you like cats, because there is this one really annoying cat that always is running away and then my team and I…And the Jerk is Kakashi. Don't listen to anything he says. All he does is stick to rules, train, stick to rules, train, stick to rules, _nag_ on me, train, sti…"

Lee perked up. "Would it perhaps be possible to find a place to train my taijutsu?" Obito glanced at him, curious. "My sensei always stressed that one must take each and every opportunity to enhance one's skills!"

Obito looked skeptical. "You know Taijutsu? But I thought you were civilians?"

"Civilians have fighting skills too," Lee answered calmly. "Just because we don't use them as an income source doesn't mean we are completely helpless."

"I think, Lee-kun, you think that every one has a background like yours." Ino cut in. "Lee's dad was a taijutsu expert." She explained to the genin and chuunin. "He taught Lee everything he knew before he died. Lee continues to practice it as a way to remember him, though it _does_ come in handy if we ever face bandits on the road."

Obito nodded. "I get it. So basically it's family techniques!"

Lee sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "I guess you could say that, Obito-san. But my father also liked to study other people's styles and tried to integrate it into his own." Lee's back straightened and he frowned fiercely. "He never _stole_ techniques, of course, but he did try to adapt them so he could use them."

Over time, Lee had developed a distinct distaste of copied jutsus, taijutsu, or genjutus. He viewed copying or stealing someone's manner of fighting as cheating or dishonorable and said constantly that such things had to be earned by hard work. Even then, to copy something without the original owner's permission, in Lee's mind, was theft. He believed that even if you took something from the enemy you had to change it, albeit only slightly. This way of thinking had actually helped him to surpass Gai even when he had been at his peak.

This way of thinking had also caused Lee to distrust Sasuke for more things than just the betrayal of the village – which was already very bad in his opinion. Lee had viewed Sasuke as a cheater of himself and others and one who sought strength through short cuts and dishonorable means. It would be interesting, Ino reflected, to see how Lee would react to a village full of Uchiha.

He seemed to be taking it well, so far.

"So, you're a taijutsu specialist." Obito summarized.

"You could say that." Lee answered. "But like anyone else, I must sharpen my skills with hard work and practice!" Obito nodded.

"Sounds good. Hey, do you feel like going down to a training field and helping me out with my own skills? 'Cause they kinda need a little bit of help, and I want to beat my rival, Kakashi."

_Oh no._ Sakura and Ino echoed in their minds, exchanging horror filled looks. _He said the forbidden words!_

Lee's face screwed up tightly. His mouth pressed into a thin line and his eyes squinted. Obito glanced from him to the girls, worried that perhaps he had offended someone. Then, all at once it seemed as if a sunset had been placed behind the boy in front of him. Great large tears rolled down the boy's cheeks as Lee began sprouting about rivals and prodigies, and how wonderful it was to see someone full of the flames of youth. He loudly and passionately commended the 'youth from the fountain before him' for his desire to improve. He proclaimed with fervor that Obito would surely learn from him as he hoped to impart the teachings of youth to a new generation! He vociferously pronounced the beauty of rivalry, and how overjoyed he was to have found someone so filled with the fires of life as to engage in this activity.

Obito stared at Lee, his face shocked until he felt one of the girls tap him on the shoulder.

"Ignore the fountain of youth, okay?" Ino guided him away from the oblivious taijutsu expert. Rouma was staring at Lee, shocked and wondering what jutsu had placed the sunrise and sunbeams there. And where was the music coming from?

* * *

Namikaze Minato glanced behind him, his expression curious. He had, of course, noticed Obito's departure, but he knew about Obito's open and friendly nature so he assumed he was seeing friends. However, that explosion of… _enthusiasm_ hadn't quite been expected. He spun around to lean against the Ramen Counter, resting his weight on his elbows. Obito, it appeared, was being accosted by a miniature volcano in green. Minato grinned; the expression Obito was wearing was _hilarious_.

The pink-haired girl calmed down the boy by a rather hard tap on the head. Minato winced in sympathy while reaching over to pick up his ramen bowl, because, after all, the only way to make an enjoyable situation more enjoyable was experiencing it with Ramen. Obito seemed to have gotten over his shock and continued his conversation with the thick-eyebrowed boy. Minato couldn't hear what they were talking about, and he pouted for a bit before something else caught his attention. His eyes narrowed. _What the…_

Kakashi wasn't a chuunin at his age for nothing. He was accustomed to being on high alert, and keeping track of the slightest changes. Years of being around ninja had taught him to read the subtle changes in posture. He could find someone's tell in minutes, find someone's weaknesses in less than an hour. He could find a person's nervous habits just by observing their appearance, and could sense sudden shifts in behavior instantly. He had to do these things to survive.

Thus when Minato-sensei tensed slightly, his chopsticks froze for a fraction of a second, and his eyes narrowed, Kakashi knew that Minato was concerned. Over what, the chuunin still didn't know. However, he extended his senses behind him, not turning around incase the 'enemy' would be alerted. Obito. Rouma – one of the gate guards, and… Four chakra signatures. Tightly controlled. They were high, nearly jou… No. They were low. Not even genin. Wait… what?

Kakashi spun around on his stool. "Sensei."

"Aa." Minato confirmed quietly, his gaze fixed on the visitors.

* * *

Minato couldn't exactly put his finger on it. Maybe that was why it bothered him so much. They didn't feel like civilians, but they didn't feel like shinobi either. There was little to no chakra whatsoever in the boy, and the chakra levels in the girls were either incredibly controlled or hardly there. However, this wasn't what worried him. After all, civilians usually had these chakra levels.

No. It was the way they acted.

Minato had a hobby. He liked watching people. He liked guessing at what their jobs where, how they lived, what they were like. He liked observing them, and picking up the small nuisances which made that person unique. He liked seeing identical twins and knowing which was which just because of the way one of them moved their hand when talking. He liked comparing civilians to shinobi, shinobi to samurai, samurai to civilians.

In all his observations between shinobi and civilians, even those who had fought before, civilians generally had one of three reactions when first entering a shinobi village.

They screamed when the first person darted out a window onto a roof or appeared suddenly.

They stared in shock, their eyes locked onto the strange figures which roamed the streets.

Or they fainted.

But to sum it up, non-shinobi who were exposed to the shinobi world _reacted. _They did _something_. The children in front of him didn't glance up when an ANBU appeared out of nowhere, dressed in full gear. They didn't gasp when a shinobi threw herself out of a four story window to the ground in front of them. They didn't even blink when someone used a katon to warm some soup, as useless as that venture was. There was no awe, no fear. And he wasn't just saying this to flatter his ego. It was just _wrong_.

The second thing was the way they _moved._ Their feet were confident, their movements smooth. Every foot was placed in such a way that it gave way to a forward or retreat. Their eyes darted occasionally, marking exits, entrances, people, and things. Hands. Hands were calloused. Scars ran up arms and around fingers. Nicks, marks, and dashes. Of course they could have been made by adventures climbing trees or romping in the wild, but their movements made him doubt that. That was the third time the pink-haired one's hands brushed her leg. If she had been a shinobi, Minato bet that was where her weapons pouch would have been.

He didn't like it. He didn't like it at all.

On the other hand, he sensed no ill desire. No killing intent. No obvious recordings of the walls or the positions of the Konoha guards. They weren't… enemies, he didn't think. But they certainly weren't friends.

With a sigh the jounin-sensei pushed himself up from the stool and walked over to the group. "Ohayo, Rouma-san. Obito, you should probably finish eating." Minato tapped him on the glass of the goggles. "You need energy for the next few hours."

Obito pouted for a second, before he gave it up as a bad job all around and enthusiastically introduced his new friends. "Oi, oi! Namikaze-sensei! Meet my new friends! The pink-haired one is Haruka, the blondie is Ino, and the strange one full of the…" He looked in askance, "Flames of youth is Lee! They're on their way to see the Hokage, cause they want to…"

"Start a business working as liaisons between shinobi villages and civilian villages, basically." The girl identified as Haruka shrugged. "Basically, we're a traveling caravan." She summarized.

Namikaze Minato nodded absently. "Hm… Well, if you have a few moments, I suppose I could escort you myself." He glanced at the relieved chuunin from the corner of his eye. "Knowing Kyo, he probably has you picking up some things for him, _and_ taking any delays out of your pay, right?" Rouma nodded rapidly and Minato hid a smile. He had been Kyo's partner once, seven years ago when _he_ had been a chuunin, and Minato was willing to bet his tactics hadn't changed much.

As he watched the chuunin rapidly make his way to the laundry office, smiling slightly, Minato extended his chakra to test out the visitors. Even at close range the reading was just as confusing. As he walked the group back to the ramen stand, all the while exalting the wonders of Ichiraku ramen, a bright grin on his face, the jounin hid a frown.

_I just knew I should have stayed in bed this morning!_

* * *

_The Caves_

Neji pounded the dummy, his hands punching chakra into it like a cannon. He spun on his heal and knocked the figure into the wall with a resounding thud. After many days of searching, the survivors had found the perfect training spot. It was in a ravine, the top of which was surrounded by chakra absorbing rocks. No chakra could get in or out. Neji stood the dummy on its feet and pulled out his sword, examining it intently. It was too large now, almost unfamiliar to his hands even though he had memorized the slightest scratches or nicks in its surface. The sword had been with him for three years now. A gift from Tenten.

At first he hadn't worn it to battle, thinking it was a dishonor for any self-respecting Hyuuga to take a primary weapon to battle. In his way of thinking, if he had the Jyuuken, what need did he have of weapons? That was before a cataclysmic mission which ended in the near death of Gai. As Neji examined the sword, he remembered how Gai had saved Neji from a sword-wielding witch by placing himself in front of Neji. Lee had managed to get Gai back to Sakura in time to heal his wounds, but Gai's lungs had never been the same. He was never able to use the gates again, after being expressly forbidden by both Haruno Sakura and Tsunade. As they told Team Gai, "_If he uses the gates, his body won't be able to keep up. He'll die before he can open the third one. Don't let him."_

Neji remembered the following days with black sentiment. They were days of depression, of guilt, of begging the leader to wake up and reassure them that they were okay. Neji felt guilt. The swords woman had been so good that only another swords master could have beaten her. If Neji had swallowed his stubborn pride for _once,_ Gai wouldn't have been laying in that hospital bed, so motionless, so lifeless, all the fire out of his face. So wrong!

It had been about that time when Naruto had barged in, hit Neji twice, then picked him up off the ground, dusted him off, and shoved the sword into his hand. _"You made a mistake. Now mend it."_

Neji tossed the blade up in the air and caught it. With his gaze focused, he concentrated on the dummy. He blurred. He appeared on the right wall, on the ledge, on the bottom of the overhanging cliff. He switched hands, and drove his sword straight down into the head of the dummy. He landed on his feet.

It had taken two and a half seconds. Too long. Neji sighed and lifted the sword to his eye level. It seemed he would have to spend more time practicing. _Where's Tenten when you need her…_

"How's it going?"

Neji spun around to see Naruto leaning against the cavern wall. _How long has he been there?_ Neji swished the sword back and forth. "Not so good. I'm not used to it being so large."

The blond haired jounin slouched his way over to examine the sword, his sharp gaze taking in its length compared to Neji's considerably shorter arm span. He cocked an eyebrow and leaned into Neji's face.

"Shorty." He smirked.

Neji felt a burst of irritation. "Oi!"

Naruto, as always, paid him no mind and just laughed.

Neji didn't know what had sparked his loyalty to the blond. He knew it must have started years ago, back in the first chuunin exam when Naruto had more or less knocked some sense into him. It might have grown in the following weeks where, curious about the red chakra, Neji had begun stumbling upon the attitudes of the village. It might have been when he witnessed Naruto walking away cheerfully after having his money thrown at him. It might have been when he saw Naruto's determination to retrieve Sasuke. It might have been even earlier, when he realized that Naruto saw people's hearts and not their outside attitudes… usually.

It had been a shock to Neji when he woke up one day and realized that he _trusted_ Naruto. He remembered feeling ridiculous for trusting someone he rarely worked with, for trusting someone who had been gone from the village for one and a half years. However, when Naruto came back, stronger than ever and determined to save Gaara, his friend, Neji had known, somehow, that the trust hadn't been misplaced. As two more years passed and Neji saw the world around him evolve into hell, he and the others had seen Naruto grow, and become a pillar of strength for them.

When they had all been depressed, ready to give up, Naruto would come along and make some idiotic comment, do a prank, or just give a wise remark. It encouraged them. They fell down, and he would pick them up. He would be cheerful when they were sad, silly when things were serious and dangerous at all times. He gained wisdom. To be fair, all of them had to in order to survive. But Naruto really grew in that area. He was, of course, dense at times, but soon, Neji, and many other in the Konoha Twelve began wondering if it was just another mask. They learned that Naruto was an expert at masks and donned them almost continuously.

Eventually, most of them could see past _many_ of the masks. Only Sai, for some strange reason, could see past all the masks with ease. _Of course,_ Neji thought sourly,_ that's because he wears so many!_

As Naruto continued to make inane comments, Neji would make sharp sarcastic comments back. Naruto was his Hokage, even if not in title. That was all that mattered.

* * *

As Sakura watched the chuunin walk away, she felt herself crying inside. The moment he had introduced himself, Sakura had put his name and face through her inward roster. During the war, Sakura had been in charge of remembering the names of those in active duty and their brief specifications so that they could be placed in positions accurately and quickly. After the war started, even retired shinobi were recalled to active duty. In the six years she had been working with Tsunade, Sakura was sure she had never seen him before. She hadn't seen his name on the retired scroll that went back ten years either. Sakura forced herself not to react, not to show any other emotion than joy and freedom as she walked with the Konoha Shinobi.

If he wasn't on the rosters, and if she didn't remember him from the deceased scroll, only one thing was possible; sometime in the next thirteen years, probably either in war or the Kyuubi attack, Rouma was going to die.

* * *

TBC...

Whew! Wasn't that fun!

Well, don't be afraid to leave comments! What did you guys think of Rouma?

Review!


	4. Familiar Strangers

**ooo**

**Wow**.

Okay, **first** off, **thank you** so much for all the reviews everyone was sent. I am competely blown away. **Second**, thank you so much to all the kind people who have given me **constructive critisism** and **spelling corrections**, or pointed out **incongruencies **and the like.

Special thanks to **Tombadgerlock** and **Catty** for pointing out several silly and potentially embarrassing mistakes.

I in no way shape or form own Naruto, and never will. T.T

* * *

Just some quick facts from the cannon to make things a little less confusing that were gathered at leafninja dot com:

Hatake Kakashi:

BBSBefore Series Starts

**26 Yrs. BSS** - Kakashi Born  
**21 Yrs. BSS** - Graduates Academy  
**20 Yrs. BSS** - Passes Chuunin Exam  
**17 Yrs. BSS** - Placed on team with Uchiha Obito and Rin under man who becomes Yondaime Hokage.  
**13 Yrs. BSS** - Advances to Jounin, Goes on mission to Grass Country, Left eye damaged in battle, Obito gets crushed and gives his Sharingan eye to Kakashi.  
**12 - 1 Yrs. BSS** - Gains name "Copy Cat Ninja Kakashi" for Sharingan usage, Joins ANBU and later leaves the elite group, Achieves third tomoe in Sharingan eye.  
**0** - Series Start, Becomes Jounin Sensei of Team 7.

Uchiha Obito: (Based on Timeline above)

**17 Yrs. BBS** – Graduates Academy

**13 Yrs. BBs** – Mission where he dies.

Translation:

Obito graduated at the age of nine, made chuunin at the age of eleven, and died at the age of thirteen. He and Kakashi are the same age, but graduated at different times. At this time, Konoha was at war so the standard graduating age was nine. Obito was probably dead last, (based on comments made by Kakashi and Minato) but he graduated on time. He was probably considered dead last because of not being able to activate his Sharingan.

What this means? In my story, the Konoha survivors went back five years before they meant to. They went back four years before Namikaze Minato was appointed Hokage, so that is three years before Obito died. Thus, Obito and Kakashi right now are ten years old. Kakashi is a chuunin, Obito gennin. They have been on the same team for about a year.

Okay! Now that we have these boring details out of the way, on with the story!

**ooo**

_**Familiar Strangers**_

* * *

_Konoha…._

The three teenagers walked in front of him with his team, joking and playing with 'his' kids, elbowing Kakashi, giving Obito a noogie, and teasing Rin. The pink haired girl and the blond – Haruka and Ino, if he remembered rightly – joined forces with Obito in teasing Kakashi. Lee apparently decided that Kakashi's attitude was _hip_, whatever that meant, and that Kakashi needed to learn the flames of youth. Somehow, all of them, even Minato who didn't know about the flames of youth, were skeptical that this would sink into Kakashi, as he was coping by ignoring the black haired youth.

Despite his best efforts, Minato could feel himself softening towards the mysterious teens. He knew that there was a large chance that they were spies, but he also knew that there was a lot of tragedy in the world nowadays, with the war destroying villages, people, and lifestyles. He had received intelligence that civilians, tired of not being able to defend themselves, had begun training and fighting. Minato didn't blame them. It only took a few destroyed villages before people learned that Shinobi Wars weren't just Shinobi affairs. If these kids really were civilians this explanation would explain their movements to some extent. The only problem was that they were just _too_ comfortable with moving like fighters. They moved as if they had been born this way.

However, Minato concluded, watching as Rin and Obito laughed at Kakashi's expense, he supposed he could give them the benefit of the doubt. They seemed to be making Obito happy, to say the least.

Obito was enjoying himself. After all, usually it was _him_ who was getting lectured about his behavior, and it felt good, really, really good, to see Kakashi getting a taste of his own medicine. And for once, he had someone _helping_ him tease Kakashi. This was great!

* * *

_One Year Ago_

_Konoha_

Obito remembered the first moment when he saw Kakashi. It was the day after the Genin test, and Obito had finally passed. No longer would he be called dead last! He was going to conquer the world, just watch him! He was gonna get out and show them what an Uchiha, even a dead last one could do, and then, maybe his father wouldn't think of him as a disgrace. Just maybe. But first he would need a good team, a team that he could support and that would support him, and they would be best friends. Putting his hands behind his head, Obito strolled down the street confidently until he realized.

"I'm going to be late!"

Kyoko sighed. He was late, again. And to make matters worse, this was the day to assign the genin teams! _You'd think he'd make an attempt to come early_… Kyoko resisted the urge to snap at the other kids classroom in front of her. It wasn't _their_ fault that Obito was a victim of Chronic Lateness Syndrome. And he _was_ just nine. He was a kid, so she couldn't get too angry…But she _so_ wanted to go on that date with Rouma today! As the teacher groaned silently, watching her hopes of a romantic day go down the drain, the door burst open to allow a short, dark haired genin into the room. "I'm sorry I'm late, Kyoko-sensei! But there was this old lady and her cat who told me that she needed help with her groceries and that it was on the way, so I thought, hey, kill two birds with one stone, but then she told me that she was wrong and then we were lost, and so she began to tell me about the road of life, but then—"

Kyoko held up a hand, silencing the boy even as her other hand tried to smooth away the growing headache. "Okay, Obito, just take a seat, okay?" Obito nodded quickly, glad to be off the hook, and sprang into the seat beside his friend Sotomura Hayate. Beside him, Amichiki Choiyo kindly extended an offering of food which Obito gratefully accepted, having skipped breakfast to get here relatively on time. Meanwhile, Kyoko sighed in relief, hoping that maybe just once she would get out of here moderately on schedule.

"Yosh!" She said, calling the class to attention. "Congratulations. If you are in this class you have graduated. You may now pat yourself on the back." Hayate grinned and reached behind himself to do so. Choiyo rolled her eyes. '_Baka'_ she whispered. Kyoko-sensei continued speaking, ignoring the exchange for now having decided that her speech was more important. The sooner she got this over with, the sooner she was free. "Now you are going to enter real shinobi life. Remember, this is not a game, and we have a war going on right now. When you get out there, try you're best not to get yourselves killed, alright?" When everyone nodded, Kyoko grimly began searching through her papers. "From now on, you will be divided into teams of three until you are promoted to chuunin. Even then, working in teams of three or four is encouraged, and you usually stay with the same people. So, try to make things easier for the people you work with now, right Obito, Hayate?"

The two boys glanced at her guiltily and turned their attention away from their pranking plans. Obito grimaced once he realized she was really aiming her comment at his inability to arrive somewhere on time. _It's not like it's my fault!_ Obito whined mentally. _Things just happen!_ As Kyoko-sensei began dividing teams, the three genins crossed their fingers.

"Do you think we have a chance of getting on the same team?" Choiyo asked nervously, twisting her chubby hands together. Hayate laughed and patted her on the back.

"No worries! Do ya really think they'd split up the three of us?" Hayate radiated confidence. However, Choiyo looked less than convinced.

"And if they do?" Hayate paused for a second, before Obito cut in.

"We'll be friends forever and wait until we're chuunins so we can go on missions together. After all, friends never leave each other behind. So you guys better keep up with me!"

The other two laughed, tension bleeding off of them.

"Team six – Amachiki Choiyo, Sotomura Hayate and…" Obito leaned forwards in anticipation. "Fugimaki Han." Obito's eyes opened wide, for a second not believing what he heard, before slumping in disappointment.

"Hey!" Hayate yelled, jumping onto the desk. "What are you doing, you crazy old hag! You can' sep'rate Obito from the trio! Especially to pair us up with Kami's-gift-to-Konoha Fugimaki Han!" Hayate glared at Kyoko as if he were going to attack her, anger coming off him in waves. "Redo it!"

Kyoko-sensei glared right back at him. "No. Final is final. I'm sorry you don't like it, Hayate-san, but what's been put down, stays down." She glanced at the other two members, her eyes landing on the dejected Uchiha and her face softened. "I'm sorry I have to separate you three, but someday you'll learn why, okay?" She glared back up at Hayate. "And Hayate," She got into his face, "_Get off my desk and sit down._" As Hayate scrambled down, Kyoko turned away. "And apologize to Han-san, okay?"

Hayate stuck out his lip crossly, and Obito and Choiyo knew that there was no way he was going to obey that order. Glancing at each other, they sighed. Kyoko returned to her desk as if nothing had happened and picked up the list again. "Team Seven – Rin, and Uchiha Obito. You'll meet you're third teammate with your sensei."

Obito perked up a bit. Well, at least _something_ good was coming out of this! Choiyo nudged him and whispered. _"Hey, isn't she the girl you like?"_ Immediately Obito flushed red and glanced around the room hoping no one had heard, while Choiyo, who knew how to read him like a book, smiled knowingly.

Hey, maybe she didn't need to feel quite so bad after all!

Obito groaned, leaning his forehead against the desk. He hated waiting. _Hated, hated, hated! _Team after team had been taken away by a jounin sensei. At first, Obito had been wide awake, his attention caught by all the powerful shinobi coming into the room. However, after Choiyo and Hayate were led away by a reserved looking man he had lost interest. "Kyooko-senseiiii…" Obito groaned. "When are they gonna to get here?"

Kyoko didn't answer, too caught up in her own misery. Just when she thought she was going to get off easy, the Jounin-sensei was delayed on his mission! Which meant waiting with the genin hopefuls, which meant missing her date, which meant no Rouma! Kyoko sank her head to the desk, a storm cloud hovering above her head. _This is not my day._

Of course, Genin send offs never were. Nowadays, the standards for accepting students were lower than it had been in the past because of the war, which meant at least half of those students were going to end up on a battlefield, most likely even before two months was up. It was always hard for her to watch them walk out the door, so full of hope and grand ideas, filled with innocence, knowing that one day they were going walk back through that door, their eyes dark and wary, untrusting and their hands tainted by blood. Kyoko looked at her clenched fists: Tainted just like hers.

That is, if they came back at all. Sometimes, not all blood was from a foreign party… sometimes it was from friends.

The opening of the door awoke her, and Kyoko gratefully tore herself away from those dark thoughts. She glanced over at the masked face of the boy, only to flinch slightly. He wasn't older than Obito, but he already had them: killer's eyes. Kyoko stood up.

"Hatake Kakashi?" She gave a friendly smile. "You're right on time. Come in!"

* * *

_Konoha_

_Present day_

Sakura laughed genuinely as she watched Lee tease Kakashi. It was soo funny to think that this stoic little squirt was Kakashi! He was so, so, _small!_ And he was trying so hard not to get annoyed it was funny. She and Ino exchanged glances and shared a mischievous smile. As one, they swooped upon the stoic ten year old.

"Oi, Kakashi," Began Ino.

"Me and Ino were thinking," Sakura continued.

"You know, you've got a really,"

"Hip attitude," Sakura grinned at Lee, who quickly caught on and backed away for distant sympathy.

"However," Ino continued, "Your clothes,"

"Are just not up to par." Both girls shook their heads and 'tsked.' Then, like predators, they sprang upon their prey.

"So, how about," Sakura grinned.

"You let Haruko and me bring you up to style!"

"You can keep the mask though." Sakura added generously. Kakashi glanced between the two of them, his face a study of disbelief and incredulity. At Sakura's comment of the mask, Kakashi's hand twitched.

Ino carefully kept her triumph off of her face. Mission one: Start!

* * *

_Two Weeks Before_

Kakashi sighed, rubbing a hand across his chin uncomfortably. They wouldn't let him wear his mask and it was making him very uncomfortable; masks were a tradition in the Hatake family, a custom born because of the family's keen awareness of body expressions. Despite Naruto, Sakura, and to his shock, _Sai's_ claims that he had hidden his face just to spite them, there was a deeper history to the customary Hatake masks.

The man shook himself. It was no used crying about wasted chakra. He _couldn't_ be recognized, so he _wouldn't_ be. His silver hair died dark brown, his mask gone, and his uniform put away; Kakashi could honestly say he hardly recognized himself. He glanced up at Ino, trying hard to ignore her glare. For some reason, Ino seemed to have taken it as an insult that he had worn a mask to hide his features. Ignoring the urge to hide his lower face behind his hand, he explained his request.

"The situation is like this – my younger self is an emotionally dead, conceited fool with issues he doesn't want to deal with, has a hard head and doesn't like to listen to reason." He waited for Ino to react, almost _feeling_ her smirk hidden behind that façade of indifference.

"And that is different from the current you, how?" She asked blandly.

Kakashi really missed his mask. It would be one thing to be around Naruto or Kiba, or even _Chouji_ who didn't understand the minute twitches in the face or the small, millisecond emotions that passed by. Kakashi had been trained from before he could walk to read those emotions. It had been the gift of the Hatake lineage to be able to see those things at a glance. Ino had trained with Morino Ikibi _and_ Anko. She was probably just as good as he was and he had no doubt she was recording every emotion, every chosen word, every involuntary movement to memory. That was her job, after all.

Kakashi forced himself to be nonchalant and laid back. _Imagine you have the mask on. Don't flinch, don't blush, don't twitch. Relax._ Kakashi smiled, his eyes becoming the usual upside down 'U's, "Well, let's just say I took the rule 25 and the phrase, "_Mission before Comrades"_ a _little_ too literally." Now Ino looked intrigued. She leaned forward, her eyes lighting up as they always did when she had a hunch. _Or a victim. Eek! Don't think like that, Hatake!_

"That's interesting." She purred. "It's totally different than your ideals now."

Kakashi met her eyes for a second before turning away.

"Aa."

They remained in the stillness, Ino's eyes fixed on the fire, and Kakashi's eye fixed on the past. "All I'm saying is that it would be nice if whenever someone is at the village they would try to break the younger me out of my shell." Kakashi couldn't help the small smile that formed at the corners of his mouth. "Acting like Gai would work, actually."

Ino drew back. "Ew! No! I am not acting like that!" Kakashi smirked.

"Well, I guess it's good you have Lee with you then."

* * *

Ino kept an eye on the three genin before her. She now saw what Kakashi had been talking about; he really was a cold, emotionally dead kid at this age. Not to mention the dark haired boy, the Uchiha. Boy! Was he different than she expected. Sure, she had heard the story behind Kakashi's sharingan, but she had always assumed that all Uchiha were like Sasuke – cold, and heartless, easily abandoning their friends for their own goals – however, this kid reminded her more of Naruto than of his relatives. He had the same sunny smile and the same look of determination. He was in a rivalry with an opponent of higher skill who was just as cold as Sasuke had been. Colder actually. However, as she watched the two of them react together she couldn't help but smile. It was like it was meant to be. Like Sasuke and Naruto were _supposed_ to have been.

_Now, Kakashi, I think I understand a little of what your eyes said._

The Hokage Tower, tall, majestic and foreboding, with white walls, a red roof and green trim loomed over them. Behind it the Hokage Mountain with the faces of the Three Kages watched over the village. Lee resisted the urge to salute them out of the habit he and the others had formed during the war. A salute to the Kage Mountain to remind it that they _hadn't_ died, a salute to their comrades who _had_ died, and a salute to themselves, who had lived to die another day.

As the group ascended to the Hokage office, Lee was struck by how similar and yet how different the tower was. There were different guards, different placements of desks, different tapestries. A wall had a rough patch here, a construction team there. This wall was old, so Lee knew it hadn't been affected by the war yet. The stairs were rougher and more worn, so Lee knew that they had to have been replaced sometime before he became a genin. A few faces he recognized – That was Neji's dad, Hiashi, and there was Tenten's uncle. He recognized Inoichi, the Yamanaka clan head and Ino's father. If Lee remembered correctly, he was in intelligence. A few faces remained in the same places as when Lee had been a shinobi, but they were younger than the ghosts that haunted him.

As they approached the doors, Lee could feel himself becoming sadder. If all had gone well, if they had one, if they had just killed Orochimaru faster, the Hokage they saw when they opened those doors would have been Tsunade. She would have been either asleep on her desk or looking out the window. Either way, she would scowl at them, give them a few orders, nag them playfully and then wish them good luck. Or, perhaps, it would have been Naruto, who would grin at them cheerfully, make a few daring comments and a joke at his own expense, before issuing their orders. He wouldn't really wish them good luck, Lee knew. Naruto would just expect that they would have the ability to make it back without it. If, if, if. Gai had taught him not to think of that, Lee reminded himself. There were no ifs. There was only is, and will be's.

He walked between the two girls, talking loudly, knowing he was drawing stares and looks of disgust. He wasn't oblivious; he just pretended to be. But, the shinobi could stare at him all they wanted, could mock him all they wanted. That didn't change the fact that Lee-the-Idiot was distracting Sakura and Ino, that Lee was keeping them from dwelling on the past, present, or future. It didn't change the fact that by embarrassing them, he was keeping them from being sad. If it took Lee making himself look like a fool to help his friends, Lee would gratefully, gladly and passionately make that sacrifice.

The doors came ever closer, and, after Minato-san checked to make sure the Sandaime was free, Minato led the group into the office to where a familiar figure in a red hat, smoking a red pipe, looked at them with wise, tired old eyes. It was a figure from their pasts, one who had played with them, taught them, acknowledged them, and lectured them. It was one which had died to save them six years ago.

_Hokage-sama._

Sarutobi's day had started out like it always did. He was up before the sun rose, and after paying his respects to his long dead wife, Ayame, he would dress in the Hokage robes, put on his hat, and with a quick Shunshin no Jutsu arrived at the office. After greeting the chuunin at the desk with a nod, he sat down at his desk for a long day of paperwork. He would then continue doing paperwork with minimum disturbances until noon when he would go out to wander around the village, appearing wise and knowing just as a Hokage should. He would return, only to have one of the replacement hopefuls take his place at the desk so he could go home to spend time with his family. A nice, slow, peaceful almost boring existence.

Or at least, that was his dream.

Certainty, Sarutobi _did_ get up early every morning. Always, before the jeweled stars had hidden themselves behind the dark blue velvet tapestry called the sky, the aging man would find the strength to get out of his bed. He would bow towards the picture of his wife, taken when she had been young with speckled brown hair, laughing eyes, and nary a wrinkle, before closing the door quietly behind him. He would stop at his son's door and wish that he could find the time to spend with Asuma, a genin of only ten years of age, growing up so fast that at times Sarutobi didn't recognize him. He would arrive at the Hokage tower just as the stars began to disappear, would nod the chuunin at the desk, open his office, only to be called the minute he stepped through the door to an emergency meeting regarding the deaths of an Anbu team, or the disappearance of several chuunin, or the advancement of Iwa towards their borders. Or, perhaps, there was a shortage of medicine which would quickly bring Tsunade banging down his door, literally leaving splinters behind. When the Sandaime could finally drag himself to his towering paperwork which crowded the desk in the shape of a mountain, he would soon forget his relief.

Paperwork, the bane of his existence. However, it wasn't for the reason it had been five years ago, before this accursed war. No, then, it had been a task hounded by routine and inane job requests, filled with consequential facts, and complaint after complaint from various apartments about water, heat, or draftiness. _Now_, Sarutobi thought grimly,_ it is because with every sheet I see the face of another good shinobi who will no longer be with us. I see the faces of youth, gone in an instant before they could even experience life._ Just today he had received news of a genin team annihilated on a supposed C rank mission. Now, instead of tedious work that could occasionally make him smile, every page was filled with heart wrenching news of war damages, food shortages, clothing shortages. Medicine was running out, the new genin were being sent out too soon, and shouldn't that chuunin team have reported back by now?

Sarutobi sighed. War was hell, and even with all his power as the Hokage, he couldn't do a thing to change it.

The door opened quickly, and Sarutobi looked up expectantly, already knowing who it was. Only Minato had that concentration of Chakra. He was not disappointed.

Minato stuck his head through the door, grinning. "You busy?" Sarutobi smiled back. "Oh, just paperwork." He stood up and walked around the desk, watching as the rest of the group filed in. "It would be wonderful to have a break, however."

Minato nodded sharply, replying, "Yeah, well just watch. Someday I'll be sitting in that seat." Sarutobi laughed. Minato didn't know how close he was to the truth.

"You're welcome to it! Infact, if you want you can do some of that paperwork for me…" Sarutobi trailed off suggestively. However, Minato quickly backed up a little bit. "That's okay. I think I'll wait."

"Good answer," the Sandaime said approvingly. "You know when to draw back." He turned his dark eyes to the new people. They had already been reported to him, Ryo having sent a message as soon as they had been out of his sight. A trio of three, their movements smooth and panterlike, eyes shadowed and old, darting to exits and entrances, measuring him up. Yes, he could see the danger in them. Yet, unlike his subordinates, he could also sense the longing inside of them – the longing for peace and tranquility, the longing to get away from death. It was evident in the very way that their chakra rolled and rushed inside of them, sparking and subduing. They were as world weary as he was, the poor children.

If children they could still be called. No, the trio was not truly a danger. Not to them. Not to Konoha.

"Ah yes, Lee-san, Ino-san and Haruko-san, correct?" Sarutobi smiled at them, noting their non shocked expressions. Oh, certainly, they attempted to look shocked, and Sarutobi would be willing to bet they could have fooled most shinobi, especially Ino-san. However, he wasn't called the Professor for nothing. "I am Sarutobi Sasuke. I heard that you have an interesting proposition for me." He gestured towards the three chairs before his desk. "Have a seat."

They moved forwards without a hint of fear or uncertainty. Fascinating.

* * *

The Sandaime was almost the same as she remembered him. Ino remembered the dignified old man from her younger days. She remembered coming to him for advice about Sakura, or about her mom. She remembered him buying a popsicle for her, or when he had sat down to play that dolls one time. She remembered that even during her genin days, when she believed that she could do no wrong Sarutobi had always been so wise and directing. He knew not to _tell_ her she was going about something the wrong way. Instead, he would help her come to that conclusion. At the age of twelve, Ino had believed that Sarutobi had the answer for everything.

The wise old codger.

It was strange seeing him. He, at least, she had expected to see the same. She certainly hadn't expected to see him with brown streaks in his beard, fewer wrinkles and no age spots. She undoubtedly hadn't expected that instead of a frail, wispy body made wiry with age, Sarutobi would be lean and muscular; his hands still calloused from gripping the kunai and shuriken. On the other hand, Ino reflected, one thing had not changed. He still had eyes that could look right through you.

Ino brought up all her training not to look away guiltily, and took a seat. _Let's get this over with, okay Sakura? Preferably before I spill all…_

Sakura quickly took her seat in the middle with Lee sitting bolt straight on her right, and Ino slouched on her left. Ino yawned, her body posture molding into the chair like a cat's. For a second, Sakura felt a flash of irritation. They were in the presence of a Kage! Couldn't Ino _try_ to be a bit respectable? Sakura squashed that thought cruelly. Ino had to be Ino for this to work, whether Sakura liked her attitude or not.

Sarutobi leaned forward on his desk and rested his chin on this interlaced finger, and sat patiently, his eyes intent, waiting. Sakura gathered her resolve and set about bargaining.

She charged straight in, her tone no nonsense, yet there was no disrespect in her manner. "We," She gestured rapidly with her pointer finger, "Are part of a small traveling caravan. We wish to start a trading business between shinobi villages and civilian towns and cities. We plan on going to different places for about a week or two before moving on to the next village. During that time, our caravan will sell food, herbs, medicine, toys for kids, artsy things, portraits, give vet care for cheap, and have games and the like for the _children_," She stressed this word, "To play." Sakura smiled cheekily. "We aren't naive enough to think that the shinobi won't be able to hit a dart board."

She _felt _Minato and Obito grin, and she saw the Hokage smile. "That is true." Sarutobi looked at her. "When you said trading with other shinobi villages, what did you mean?"

"Exactly what I said." Sakura answered, leaning forwards. "We aren't going to commit ourselves to any one village. Doing that would be business suicide. Our caravan goes to shinobi villages, buys wares such as pottery unique to that village, for example, then takes it to either a civilian, or shinobi village to sell it. Art from other countries is bought and sold. Hey, this way people who would otherwise be restricted to their own back yard will be able to expand to other nations. The original vendors receive a small percent of the money gained, naturally.

"It's important for you to know that we won't take any sides in any war. That means that we won't involve ourselves, carry messages, or sell weapons to one village and not to the other. The only way we would blacklist a village was if it had done something to us."

The Hokage nodded. "Sounds reasonable." His leaned back in his chair. "So, in summary, you want to be a caravan, going from village to village for one to two weeks, making a fair of some sort for the village. You buy the village's merchandise and sell the merchandise of other villages. Games for children, herbs, food, and clothing. Decorations, trinkets…" Sandaime stood up and walked around the desk thoughtfully, his finger and thumb rubbing his chin. "Hm…" He turned to look at the trio.

"You do realize Konohagakure is at war as of three years ago, correct?" Sakura nodded. "And you realize that this will cause a lot of suspicions of you motives? Not to mention we won't garentee the safety of you person coming or going…" Once again Sakura nodded, and Sarutobi nodded along with her, black eyes locked on hers. "Very well. I shall have to make a few requirements, as I'm sure you understand. I can't have security breaches in my village."

"That's fine," Ino broke in, waving a hand nonchalantly. Her gaze was firmly fixed on two playful birds outside who were darting in and out of view. "We knew that different villages would have different precautions, so we're flexible." Sarutobi glanced at Sakura, who nodded. The Hokage's face remained stoic, watching them from under the wide brim of the Kage hat. He relaxed subtly.

"Ah, good." The Sandaime broke into a wide smile which made his face look younger. "Good, good. I will be frank with you, Haruko-san, Ino-san, and Lee-san. My village has been in need of something lighthearted for quite sometime. I fear that as the war has continued, many of us have become… oh, you know, jaded."

His eyes looked past them, but Lee knew that he wasn't just looking at Kakashi and Minato. He was seeing the entire village. "It would be wonderful to have something fun, something that the children can do to distract them." The Hokage continued his walk to the window and leaned against it. "And I'm sure that the women would love taking a look at your clothes. However," He looked at them, his face obscured by the shadow of his hat, "You will have to bring your own food supplies. This _is_ a time of war and we _are_ on war rations."

This time, it was Lee who answered. "We understand. Once again, we expected it would be like this. However, if I may say so, the flames of youth in the village are still very strong, and you shouldn't be discouraged yet, Hokage-sama."

Sandaime looked at Lee from under his eyelids, a small, secretive smile at his mouth. "Is that so, Lee-san?" He turned back to Sakura. "In that case, may we get the tiresome details out of the way? You are dismissed, Minato."

* * *

Lee was bored. Politics was never something he had been good at, but Ino and Sakura thrived on it. He knew from experience that the girls loved taking words and twisting them around, or putting them in different orders to mean things different than what they said. They loved hearing other people's words and trying to figure out any traps or tests that might be involved. Ino in particular loved reading body language. She loved guessing the emotions someone was feeling from slight signs and then using those emotions to manipulate them.

But, Lee just wasn't a politician. He liked things straight forward. If you meant something, you said it. If you were saying no, you said no. If you were agreeing, you agreed. If you liked someone, you told them.

You didn't play around with words and make someone wonder if you were saying that the sky was green and that you agreed that the grass was blue and that yes, you didn't deny that you weren't positive you like grasshoppers, and you agreed to disagree with the jounin who was actually a chunnin, but that meant that he was ranked as a chuunin and was very good… or was it that he ranked jounin and was incompetent? These word games gave Lee a headache. In his opinion, which no one asked, these games were useless.

However, the other three occupants in the room seemed to think it was fun, or at least a good idea, so Lee bore with it. It seemed to be going well, until the Sandaime asked the question which caused Lee no end of unease.

"To ease my mind," Sarutobi said quietly and solemnly, "please answer this truthfully. Were you once shinobi?"

Sakura stopped, her mouth open part way. With a reluctant glance towards Ino and Lee, she answered, "Some of us have had combat training of some sort. Some of us come from hidden villages that were destroyed before they could make a name for themselves. Nevertheless, we aren't going to take sides in any war." Sakura looked down at her hands, half imagining, half remembering the blood that dripped from them. "We're tired of war."

The old man looked at them for a second, his face not believing, before he nodded slightly. "You swear that you and your companions mean no harm to my people?"

Sakura looked up, gaze steady. "We swear."

Sarutobi nodded. "Good. I will keep that little tidbit out of your profile then. I don't necessarily trust you, but I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. Out of curiosity, are you the leader of the Caravan, Haruko-san?"

"Iie." Sakura replied cheerfully, tilting her head to the side. "The 'Teatari Shidai' is."

"Teatari Shidai?" Sarutobi questioned. _Random? Why would he be called Random?_

"He's the one that I and all my companions would give their lives for." Sakura explained, still smiling. "I think you'll understand when you meet him. He wanted to come but, well, something came up." Sakura couldn't restrain the snicker, and she could feel Ino giggling beside her. Lee tried to keep a straight face but ended up looking a little constipated. "He had an…" She searched for the right word. "Accident, I suppose you could say."

Sarutobi glanced from one giggling teen to the other, and decided he didn't want to know.

* * *

Obito grunted in exertion as he swung at Kakashi only to have Kakashi doge without even bringing up his hands. Obito swore and crouched to the ground before leaping at the young chuunin. Kakashi simply ducked and allowed the Uchiha to fly over his head. When Obito was still off balance he struck, pinning his teammate to the ground and placing a kunai at his neck. "You lose." Kakashi deadpanned. "Again." The Hatake got up knowing his point was accepted.

Obito swore violently and pounded the ground. "Gah! No fair! Why do you always _win_?"

Kakashi snorted. "I always win because you are so pathetic that you defeat yourself for me. Deadlast." He walked away without looking back, his hands stuck deeply into his pockets, while Obito pounded the ground again before springing up. He stood with his feet spread apart and pointed to Kakashi.

"You think you're so cool! Just you wait! Some day I'm gonna kick your—"

"Oi! Obito-san! Kakashi-san!" The boys looked down to the end of the field where they saw the new people arriving guided by a rather young chuunin. "Whatcha doing?" The blond called, waving an arm over her head. Obito felt himself cheer up while Kakashi watched them approach coolly.

The Hatake watched them for a little bit longer, before hnning and turning away to walk back to Rin and Minato-sensei. Obito ignored him in favor of watching his new friends' approach, only to feel Minato come up beside him. "You know, Kakashi's right. You'll have a better chance if you don't act impulsively."

Now it was Obito's turn to huff in annoyance. "It's not fair, sensei! He's been a chuunin for years! He can't call me deadlast just 'cause I'm a few years less experienced." Obito crossed his arms sulkily. "Besides, he doesn't have to be such a jerk about it."

Minato ruffled his dark eyed student's hair playfully. "Aa, aa, I know, I know. But, try to understand a little bit, okay Obito?"

The Uchiha rolled his eyes and went to join the trio muttering, "Yeah, sure, whatever."

Minato watched him run towards them with a grin before using a shunshin no jutsu to take him over to Kakashi and Rin. "Hey, Rin, why don't you go say hi, yeah?" Rin was a smart lass, and after glancing from her sensei to her teammate, she nodded and ran to the group. Kakashi remained still, leaning against the tree watching her go. The jounin and chuunin stood in the quiet, neither of them moving or speaking.

Minato shifted slightly. "Kakashi, you know it's alright to have friends, right?"

Kakashi looked away from the children for a second, his eyes focusing on his mentor for a moment before he returned his gaze to the party below.

"Friends are useless, Minato-sensei." He said this calmly, his voice unchanging from the everlasting monotone. His eyes neither widened nor narrowed and a resigned Namikaze knew that Kakashi believed what he said. Minato silently cursed the Shinobi Rules along with irresponsible fathers who couldn't take a little shame, and he even cursed at Kakashi, who had let his six year old logic rule him for the last four years. He cursed the war which had made it acceptable to graduate children at such young ages, and he cursed the village which was so judgmental and unforgiving - even around children.

Minato didn't really know what to do about his emotionless student. Namikaze Minato had known Kakashi since he was a little child, scarcely three years old. When Kakashi had been younger, he had rarely been seen without a smile, or without a grin. He ran and played like a normal shinobi raised kid, except with kunai and shuriken instead of stuffed toys and action figures. However, as time went on, and Kakashi became the genius of his generation, graduating from his class at the age of five, his smiles were replaced by an emotionless mask, his laughter replaced by silence. Eyes that once were filled with innocence became colder, deader, and blank: killer's eyes. At the age of six, Kakashi already had several kills under his belt and had taken several C almost B rank missions.

Minato still remembered that one painful day when Kakashi's last illusions of his father had been destroyed.

Kakashi had just been promoted to Chuunin, and he had shown so much excitement, running to his dad to boast of his accomplishments. But instead of meeting a congratulatory dad who would pat his son on the head and pronounce, "Well done!" in proud tones, Kakashi didn't see his Dad at the chuunin exam. He returned home with his spirits crushed to find his dad drunk to the bone, slouched in his chair not even able to remember Kakashi's age, much less the important events in his son's life.

Soon after that, Sakumo had committed seppuku with his son as his decapitator. Two days later, at Sakumo's funeral, Minato saw the last of the cheerful boy he had known. In his place was a blank killer in child's form. He stood behind his young student as Kakashi swore on his father's grave he would keep the Shinobi rules and that he wouldn't be trash, even at the cost of his comrades. After that the chuunin lived with the Yellow Flash but as far as Minato could tell Kakashi never broke his vow. From that day on, Kakashi's nindo was simple: Those who break the rules are trash.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the last year had sparked a subtle change in the chuunin starting with the meeting of a clumsy, rule breaking genin who was always late. It had started with the meeting of Uchiha Obito.

* * *

_One Year Ago_

_Genin exams_

Minato and Kakashi walked down the halls silently, the only sounds the nearly silent whisper of their feet and the laughter of the children outside. Kakashi stared straight ahead, his eyes not darting to the left or to the right, his foot landing at the same spot in front of him, his expression blank. His movements were almost robotic in nature, and Minato found himself glancing at his student from the corner of his eye. They were quickly approaching the classroom door, and Minato found himself becoming slightly tenser. It would be a new experience for him, teaching genin.

Sure, he had taught Kakashi for a long time, but Kakashi was, well, Kakashi. Two new genins with no field experience, one who was the dead last of the class and the other who was a girl would be an occurrence which Minato wasn't sure he would like to have as a regular event. Not, that he had anything against girls of course, or dead lasts, of course. Kushina was neuter him if he did. They stopped at classroom 2B, a nondescript door somewhere in the middle of the hall. _It seems like such an ordinary door_, Minato absently noted, _for covering the entrance to a dragon's den._ He withheld a shudder. _Just one more step to Hokage, just one more step to Hokage. No fear. You have no fear._ With a shudder, the Yellow Flash, terror of Iwa, Hokage-Canidate, and Jounin extraordinaire sank back against the wall. _Yeah right. Liar._

As the Minato sank against the wall trying to muster his courage to face the terrifying children inside, Kakashi calmly opened the door. Quickly, Minato rearranged his posture, crossing one leg behind the other and folding his arms confidently. Kakashi shot him a disgusted look before entering the room. "Tamaki Rin, Uchiha Obito. Please accompany me."

Minato smiled slightly as he heard a loud voice ask if Kakashi was a really a jounin, and how could that be? This was a prank, wasn't it? And if the silver headed weirdo didn't stop playing games, Obito was going to march over there and stop them for him! Minato tilted his head to the floor to hide the growing grin when he heard the boy demand from "Kyoko-sensei" if this really was their teacher, and why was _he_ asking them to follow him if he wasn't. And who did the silver haired boy think he was to be ordering them around, and why did he have such weird hair? Did he dye it? What about his mask? Did he have something to hide?

The girl was trying to get her teammate to be quiet, her voice very gentle and easily overwhelmed by her new teammate. Indeed, it only added to the chaos. When Kakashi finally got a word in, Minato was pleasantly surprised to hear a bit of exasperation. "If you would let me speak!" Now that was a tone the Namikaze thought he would never hear. He could almost perceive the hidden 'idiot' that he was sure Kakashi wanted to tack on.

When the three children walked out of the room, Minato waited for them to line up in front of him before glancing up. A dark haired boy with fire-filled eyes, a sulky face, and practically humming with energy, and a brown, purple cheeked girl who watched him warily, her eyes soft and kind, stood before him. Kakashi stood stoically as ever; though Minato could sense the hint of irritation that the chuunin couldn't extinguish. Slowly, Minato's grin widened. If these kids passed…

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.

_Several Weeks Later_

_Obito is late._ His eye twitched. _Again_.

Kakashi could feel the disgust burning up inside of him. That kid was an Uchiha! He should know the rules! He should know the importance of obeying them! He should know the necessity of punctuality! One single delay could cause you to fail your mission. One single minute could mean missing the target. One hour could mean the difference between winning a war and loosing it!

Warily watching the chuunin's frail hold on his patience snap string by string, the blond jounin decided not to waste time. "Kakashi, practice the summoning jutsu some more, okay? Rin, why don't I have a look at how far you're medical studies are going?"

Kakashi hn'd and walked away tensely, while Rin glanced up at her Sensei worriedly. "Sensei, Obito isn't going to get into trouble, will he? He truly doesn't mean to be late, things just…" Rin gestured vaguely. "Happen!" Minato patted her on the head.

"Ile, don't worry! I completely understand."

Rin looked relieved. "Oh, good." Once assured that Obito wouldn't get in trouble, Rin giggled. "In class he was always driving Kyoko-sensei up the wall! He was always late because people know that they can ask him to do chores and he won't protest, _usually_, so we were always late starting so she got special permission to end later, but then she was always missing appointments because the council wouldn't reschedule just for her. She was always complaining that she was out of the loop, so one day she up and decided that if they made new rules without her and not caring for her vote, she wouldn't follow them! Of course, she quickly turned around and took that back, but the Academy Headmaster had already heard so he called her up to make a confession, and Kyoko nearly had a breakdown."

Rin frowned severally. "She could have gotten fired! But then, Obito and Hayate stepped forward and they were like, "No! She didn't mean that! But he was going to fire her anyway and black list her (that means she wouldn't be able to get a job, sensei.) And then Anko – you know her right? She's Orochimaru's apprentice now, but anyway, she was like, "Take that you old windbag, you can't do anything without proof! And you have two people giving her defense! But then he was like, "They're pranksters, and always late! They're not reliable!"

"So then she told Kai, who told, me, who told Arashi-kun, who told Genma-san, who told Motoko-chan, who told 'Dashi, who told Iruka-san, who told, Ame-chan, who told her parents, who told the Amachiki parents, who told the Aburame parent because of Shibi, who really likes Kyoko, and the Aburame parents got together with the Inuzuka and the Sotomura clan who were told by Obito and him mom, and so they decided to ask the Hyuugas to help and then they all got together with the kids and boycotted for Kyoko-sensei to keep her job." Rin took a deep breath. "And that's why Obito is always late but never means to be." Rin finished matter-of-factly, as if the entire story had _anything _to do with Obito's tardy habits.

Minato blinked several times, tried to get the facts straight, and then decided that perhaps it was better if he pretended nothing happened. "So… Kyoko's your favorite teacher, huh?"

When Rin nodded rapidly without even waiting to think. "Yep! She's the smartest teacher in the entire world, and no one, not even _you_ Minato-sensei can measure up to her! She's wise, and smart, and strong, and she knows how to make people be quiet, and she's really _responsible_, and no one can be as good as her!"

Minato sweat dropped. _Thanks for the vote of confidence, Rin-san!_ He quickly decided to steer the conversation to safer ground. "Fascinating. Shall we work on your genjutsu? I think we'll put off the medical skills evaluation until a little later, okay? If I remember correctly, genjutsu was a weak point for you in the academy, right?" As the blond haired wonder guided his female student into the steps of releasing and placing genjutsu, he wondered about how three weeks with the kids could have changed him so much!

Minato was known as a determined shinobi. Concrete and usually down to earth, he was generally very reasonable and no-nonsense. Of course, he wasn't against a prank or two, occasionally, or even witty humor, but to him, everything had a time or place. He was known for giving straightforward reports, and for demanding such in return. He didn't accept sloppiness easily, or at least, he hadn't until his introduction to a certain redheaded Whirlpool nin, but that was another story. Minato was the person people called when they needed to get his old sensei away from the bathhouses without making a scene. He was dependable and levelheaded, spiced up with an ironic sense of humor.

Yes humor. He did have humor, thank you very much.

Still, he had found that working with kids confounded, confused, and up-heaved him until he didn't know whether to be joking, serious, playful or deadly. Once, he even thought he had to be all four!

It would have been so much simpler if the children were all the same, like cookies! If they could just put the kids into a cookie cutter, and then, _**bam**_! A new kid would pop out the same as the rest of them, Minato would be so relieved.

Okay, he would be disturbed too, but relieved was a close second. However, unfortunately for the jounin, children are no cookies, and thus were all different. Obito had to be deal with flexibility because pressuring him would just put him under stress and make him _later_. He learned through demonstrations, preferring to be shown several times with someone working beside him. He almost craved approval, and was willing to do almost anything to gain it. At the same time he was stubborn and headstrong, unwilling to accept constructive criticism.

Rin wanted to heal. She didn't want to see others in suffering, nor did she want to hurt anyone. She often stepped ran interference between the growing arguments of Kakashi and Obito, not wanting to see her teammates fight. She got frustrated easily, but instead of screaming or shouting like most girls Minato had experience with, Rin burst into tears. It didn't do much to Kakashi, but it sure got Obito's attention fast. Rin wanted to heal, but she was in a profession in which killing would soon be a part of life. She wanted to be strong, but she became anxious at the slightest hint of tension. He didn't know how she would manage on a battlefield, but Minato was worried.

And Kakashi… Well, Kakashi, Minato was pleased to note, had shown more emotion in the last two weeks than in the five or six years he had known him. Now, if he could only steer his outburst in a more positive direction… Instead of muttering things he would like to do to Obito such as gut him, or string him up, or kill him, or torture him… Those weren't exactly the best of emotions, but hey! It was an improvement. Frankly, it amazed Minato that in the span of two weeks, Obito was able to get more of a reaction to Kakashi than most people did in three months.

Kakashi was dedicated. No, that wasn't even the right word. He was robotic. Yeah, that was a better way to describe it. His motions, his actions, his beliefs, his life. Everything was dedicated to one thing – his village. Not even that actually. The rules. Those cursed rules! Kakashi didn't care about his own life, he didn't care about his comrades lives, he didn't care about his friends lives. Actually, Kakashi probably didn't even know he had friends. He probably didn't know that the reason Asuma was always hanging around wasn't just for training. He probably didn't know that young Genma looked up to him, or that Gekkou Hayate had Kakashi as one of his role models.

Kids! He hated them!

Minato, that is; He was pretty sure Kakashi didn't care.

* * *

_Present Day_

_Konoha_

Minato sighed as he watched Kakashi slowly move to where the rest of the group was. Unfortunately, Kakashi had seemed to come to a halt at annoyance and anger, and this was only in free time. Kakashi never truly opened up to Rin, apparently classing her as 'fan girl' and leaving it at that, despite remarkable growth in the child since her pass of the bell test. However, as good as she was becoming and as nice as she was, she didn't have what it took to get Kakashi… what? Hot headed? In a bad mood?

Minato groaned and resisted the urge to tear his hair out. Despite having known Kakashi for so long he still had trouble reading him.

The blond girl spotted Kakashi walking towards them and waved him over while Kakashi pretended to ignore her. However, Obito spotted him over his shoulder. The Uchiha darted out of the group and dashed towards the teenager. Ducking over Kakashi's shove, the dark haired boy latched onto his arm and pulled him towards the group.

Minato repressed a laugh at Kakashi's expense.

The silver haired boy was quickly hauled to the group where Rin grabbed his hand to hold him as Obito slung an arm over his shoulders. Kakashi was good and expertly trapped. His face was the picture of annoyance, and if the Jounin were closer he was confident that he would witness Kakashi's firm jaw clenched beneath the mask.

Still chuckling, Minato turned away. He would trust the visitors to Kakashi. Minato had something to attend to.

* * *

_The Caves_

Kiba pulled the bandage tight, using his teeth to make a good firm knot. Hissing slightly as he lowered his arm, he reached over for his shirt. _Nice, Kiba. Real smart. No sparing for a week because of chakra exhaustion, and what do you do? You try to clime the mountain side over razor sharp rocks!_ Kiba growled, his eyes fixed on his bloody hands, raw from scrambling to get a handhold when his chakra had faltered. _Boy, Shino, what would you say to me right now. Heh, you'd probably stare at me and smack me over the head. Then you would help me make up some lie to keep Hinata from getting worried. And then you would bribe me for a week! Shino, you idiot!_ Kiba bit his lip furiously, ignoring the bitter taste of blood that filled his mouth as he struggled to stop the tingling in his nose and the itchiness behind his eyes.

He stood up with his shirt still in his hand to wander to the opening of the small cavern which he had claimed as his room. The Cavern was empty right now as the rest of the Konoha Survivors were adding the finishing touch to the wagon, or lazing out in the sun, or reading Icha Icha Paradise. Normally he would be with them. On any other day he would welcome a chance to become distant from his thoughts and memories, welcoming a chance to escape from the grief that seemed to cling to him. But today wasn't just any other day. Today was Shino's birthday.

He would have been eighteen and deemed head of the Aburame clan, along with being merged with a new colony of bu… insects.

_Insects, not bugs! Get it right, mutt!_

_Don't call me mutt, bug boy!_

_You are an Idiot. Calling insects _bugs,_ charging head long with out waiting to think about the consequences—_

_Hey! You're the idiot, Mr. – I – don't – know – what – raining – cats – and – dogs – means!_

_It is a colo—_

_You know what it is but you don't know what it means! You—_

_Kiba! Shino, stop fighting! Please! Besides, it's your birthday Shino. Okay?_

Kiba smiled as he remembered, his fingers brushing against the scar that covered his side. It had been a year ago, and it had definitely been the one birthday Kiba would _never_ forget. They had the rotten luck of being recalled onto duty on their day off. All three of them had given up considerable privileges and free time to have Shino's birthday off, but unfortunately, a report had come in which necessitated Konoha's top tracking team. Apparently a quartet of Sound Hunter nins had been spotted on Fire Countries borders. It had been only one month before the Final Battle, and tensions had been high.

This contributed to rather tight emotions as disappointment set in for the team. Kiba remembered snapping several times at Shino, getting more annoyed with every passing moment because he didn't respond. That is, he didn't respond until Kiba had finally snapped at Hinata. Snapping out quick orders and reproof to the canine teen, Shino had added fuel to the flame in Kiba. Before either boy knew it, they were on the edge of a brawl. Their nerves were rubbed raw and nether of them had good grasp on their tempers.

In their anger, none of them noticed the figures surrounding them until fines had sprung up from the ground and wrapped around Hinata holding her captive. To the shock of the two boys, the four Sound Nins slunk out of the shadows, blank expressions pasted on their faces. Kiba didn't remember the battle that followed courtesy of a severe adrenalin rush and a blow to the head that caused him problems for months after. He distinctly remembered thinking, _"Oh man, oh man, we are so going to die."_ He recalled fast paced and blurry images and the sound of Hinata's cries as the vines grew thorns and tightened around her. Shino had drawn his blades, two long knives that curved sharply in the middle and had taken on the leader, leaving Kiba to deal with the three other Anbu. There was no chatter, insults or quips in that battle, just adrenaline, blurs of movement, and fear. One of their team was captured, and that was _never_ good.

Kiba remembered forcing himself to concentrate on the battle and what was, not on could be's, not on what _had been_. What was. He managed to down the first ninja and was trying to engage the second while Akamaru took chunks out of the third. It was in his single minded determination to finish this nin off so that he could help Hinata that Kiba made a rookie mistake. He forgot to watch the ninja Shino was working over. Sure, Shino was a jounin, and a good one at that. However, there was always a chance of a ninja getting past, even past Shino. He had been shocked when, with stinging pain and a hot flash, a sword came through his side. Kiba remembered gasping, his eyes widening in shock. Distantly he heard Hinata's "_Kiba!"_ and Shino using words that would make a mist nin blush. _I didn't even know Shino knew those words._

For the first time ever, Kiba's life flashed through his eyes._ Akamaru as a pup, running and barking, chasing the flightily butterflies over the field. The firm hands of his mother straitening his jacket, a sad put proud smile on her face as she thumbed his Hiate. A picture of a man long dead but still his mother shed a few tears for him. Hana. Shino and Hinata. Kurenai-sensei. Konoha. NarutoShikamaruChoiji… _

Hinata had broken out of her bonds, finally managing to kill the chakra that ran through the vines. She quickly dispatched the ninja which had been fighting with Kiba as Shino lobbed off the head of the sword wielding one. Kiba remembered being held onto the ground. The plant had drained Hinata of most of her chakra so chakra healing was out of the picture. That left only one option for stopping the bleeding and Kiba _knew_ he wasn't going to like it.

Shino had used a katon to head the kunai, blowing onto it until it was red hot. Hinata pushed a stick between Kiba's teeth before running her hands through his hair to calm him down, talking quietly about how the blade had missed vital organ but cut an artery so that this was the only choice, and as Kiba gritted his teeth, trying to get ready for the inevitable, the burning blade was pressed on his wound. The twig snapped between his teeth as his cries had rung in his own ears. _Muffled screams, grunts that tore at his throat. Pain. Pain, pain. Painpainpainpain –The smell of burning flesh. Oh, please-oh-please just let it end!_

Kiba snapped out of the memory, his eyes tight. The shirt was still clenched in his fist, the knuckles white from the tension. Swallowing thickly and shaking his head to clear it he pulled on the shirt. Shino had never mentioned that mission again, but Kiba had noticed a different stance in his teammate's fighting. Suddenly Shino had begun taking risks – calculated risks, sure, but they were completely un-Shino-like, and it was only after Shino's death that Kiba realized he had been trying to protect the canine wielding Shinobi, perhaps trying to make up for that near fatal mistake.

Walking briskly out of the dark cave into the light, Kiba forced himself to relax and look sociable.

_Memories were meant to stay dead and buried. So keep 'em there, Kiba!_

_Konoha_

_Hokage's Office_

Sarutobi signed his signature quickly before adding the paper to a growing stack on his left. He quickly grabbed another page and scanned it, his experienced eyes looking for anything unobvious or hidden in the words. Finding it acceptable, he quickly added his signature with a flourish, and turned back to his ever growing stack. Not glancing up from the paper he was reading, he called out. "Come in."

The door opened revealing the sheepish face of Namikaze Minato. "Ohayo, Hokage-sama. How did you know I was there?"

"I would hardly be a Kage if I couldn't sense someone in front my own door." Sarutobi glanced up, his eyes wrinkling into a smile. "Would I now?"

Minato sighed, his face sobering. "No. I guess not." The Hokage studied the jounin in front of him for a moment, before moving his paperwork aside. Paper work would always be with him. Time with his shinobi, on the other hand…

"What's wrong, Minato?" Sarutobi asked, lighting his pipe. Sharp black eyes watched the jounin carefully as Minato ran a hand through his hair and flopped into a nearby chair and leaned his elbows on his knees. The blond man met his eyes head on.

"What can you tell me about our visitors?"

* * *

TBC…

**Boring Author Note Warning!**

Jiraiya said that Naruto reminded him a lot of Minato in looks and determination, and his unwillingness to give up. However, Tsunade countered that this also reminded her of how they were different, and that Naruto's happy-go-lucky personality and Jutsu choices reminded her a lot of his mother, (spoiler) Uzumaki Kushina. I take this to mean that Naruto got his determination and will power from his dad, not to mention his looks, but he got his personality and fighting (brawling) style from his mom. This means that Minato, Arashi, or Yondaime, whichever you wish to call him, is going to be a lot different than in most fanfictions, or at least, there will be an attempt to make him closer to what the cannon is making him appear to me. I don't know if this will be successful, mainly because it is very different than my own view of the Yondaime, but the personality above mentioned seems to fit more into the cannon.

**(End Boring Author Note)**

Well? What did you think?

**Questions? Comments? Constructive Crisisim? **

**Review!**


	5. Finishing the First Move

NaraChanges Made

Disclaimer:

If I owned Naruto... would I be writing fanfiction?... probably yes, because it is so fun to make alternate universes of your own stories... Ahem. Nothing's mine! No suing!

Author's Note:

Well, this took a little longer than normal to upload. I am so sorry, but I had a bit of trouble with it. Plus Fanfiction said that my document program wasn't right. Humph...

**About Flashbacks**: Okay, I have received several reviews about the flashbacks I put into my story and how they slow the pace. I am really, really sorry, and I'll try to keep the story running. Unfortunately, in this chapter there are more flashbacks than usual (one of the reasons it was delayed) but I decided to keep them. However, there will be fewer flashbacks as I try out other methods. One reason there are so many flashbacks is because I like them, but it is good to know how they affect my story. So thank you for telling me!

**Slowness of Pace**: I realize that the first few chapters have been slow, but it will pick up. Please, please bear with me.

**Acknowledgements: **I am completely blown away by the positive response to my story. I am not saying that to brag, or gloat, because in all honesty my story isn't the best on this site. That honor would go to such stories as Foxie-sama's _For the Love of My Friends_ and Ethan Darkcrow's _Naruto: Different Beginnings. _However, you have no idea how much all that has encouradged me to keep writing. Thank you so much for the positive feedback and for the constructive critisism! You guys all deserve cookies! With lots of chocolate!

Okay, well this chapter finally reveals Naruto's mom, and the Scouts get sent back to The Caves. Enjoy!

Constructive Critisism welcome with open arms!

* * *

Previously in Holding Destiny...

_What's wrong, Minato?" Sarutobi asked, lighting his pipe. Sharp black eyes watched the jounin carefully as Minato ran his hand through his hair and flopped into a nearby chair. He leaned is elbows on his knees. The blond man met his eyes head on._

_"What can you tell me about our visitors?"_

"Oh, yes. Them." Sandaime said, stroking his pipe and leaning back into his chair. Sharp eyes gazed into the distance, the hint of fogginess betraying his distraction. "You know, Minato-kun, it has been ten years since someone as young as those children has made an impression like that on me?" He chuckled. "Perhaps the council is right and I am getting too old." Dark eyes flashed to the solemn blond. "If you tell anyone I said that I'll deny it and court marshal you." Wating until Minato stopped grinning, he continued. "They are hiding something. Something big. Something I really don't think I want to know, but I feel as if I should know. Are you following?"

Minato nodded, standing up to grab the chair and spin it around so as to straddle it, he folded his arms on the backrest to support his weight. "I know. But at the same time, they don't quite feel malicious."

The Sandaime snorted and coughed out a mouth full of smoke. "That doesn't mean anything. You can plot to do someone harm, but not do it out of malicious intent! But, I agree with you. Now, we have concluded that they are hiding something. We have concluded that they don't feel malicious, so can we conclude that what they are hiding doesn't have malicious intent?"

"…Yes?" Minato tentatively ventured. Sarutotobi sighed.

"No." He replied, eyes rolling. "But we can give them the benefit of the doubt."

Minato stared at him. "The benefit of the doubt? No offense, sir, but we are in the middle of a war here, and those 'people who are 'hiding' something' have taken an interest in one of my students. We can't afford to leave our backs open, especially with the upcomming attack we're planning!" The Namikaze leaned forwards. "Hokage-sama, please, we can't take such a foolhardy risk, especially when--"

"-When the answer seems so obvious?" Sarutobi interrupted. He cocked an eyebrow. "Strange, I somehow remember you taking a different approach when a certian redhead was accused of abandoning her village."

The blond reddened and looked away. "That was different. We knew Kushina - or at least, knew her enough to know she would never abandon Whirlpool without cause."

"Oh? We did, did we?" The Sandaime snorted. "Strange, all I remember is her dying my hair hot pink and spraying my walls bright orange. And lets not forget installing cameras in the boys side of the hot springs. Or tieing up several of our genin and leaving them to hang by their underwear."

Minato laughed. "Okay, you got me. But I guess we did deserve it." He sobered. "But we had known her for at least a month! These newcomers just appeared out of nowhere! I mean, a nonexistant village, the way they move, talk, act, _react... _I can't just ignore that!"

Sarutobi sighed. "Very well, Namikaze-san, what would you have me do? Say no, and if they were simply harmless travellers trying to make their way in life, let them take their buisness elsewhere? That would hardly help us." He touched the brim of his hat. "Very well, Namikaze Minato - I hearby designate you the observer and watcher of the traders. Anything suspicious, anything wrong, you report it to me. If at the end of six months our suspiciouns come to naught, they will return to typical surveillance." Dark eyes glanced at the lax blond. "Is that acceptable?"

"It is. I will begin at once - by tracking down where they came from."

* * *

_Konoha Borders_

_A year into the war…_

_Purple hair floated in the water gently, the current running through it like wind through grass. Tall reeds were tangled in it, and fingers, stone cold and white were lax. Red surrounded the body like a puddle inside a puddle before being__ gently carried down the stream. Eyes, so dark blue they almost look black were glassy as they stared up, straight into the sky. Her face was pale, a grayness around the mouth signifying that the corpse had been dead for a while – four hours at the least. Her neck was slashed, a wide line of red showing where the blade had stepped in its deadly dance. Her clothes, Anbu standard uniform were unmoving except for the dark blue pants which waved slightly in the gentle current. _

_Gentle. Ha! A mockery._

_Naruto could feel his throat closing. Yuugao. "Tell the men to retreat." He said harshly._

_"Sir?" The nameless chuunin questioned, tilting his head quizzically._

_"There's nothing left for us to save." Naruto bent down to pick the limp body of the woman, ignoring the way her arms hung lifelessly, or the way her long hair damped his shirt. A few slick strands hung down, water running down them in a constant stream that splattered the ground. She looked so fragile, so non-Yuugao. She looked nothing like his Anbu taichou. His strong, hardnosed, my-way-or-the-highway, unbreakable taichou. _

_Shikamaru stood still while Naruto passed him, the spiky haired special jounin scowling fiercely, his teeth firmly clamped on a homemade cigarette. Chouji stood beside, him, hid dark eyes sad. In his hands he held the crushed remains of what had been a cat's mask. Naruto knelt to lay the woman on the ground, forcing himself to ignore how her bleeding had stopped after being lifted out of the water, meaning that her heart hadn't been pumping for hours. The pasty white of her skin had already told him she was bleed out. With callused fingers he closed her eyes. "Go to your lover, taichou. He's waiting for you."_

_Standing up, he nodded to the Akimichi. Chouji flashed several seals and the ground around the twelve Anbu bodies softened. Their bodies sunk through, the mud taking a life of its own to slither around their legs, shoulders, and stomach, dragging them down into the depths of the earth. Naruto forced himself to watch until nothing was left of the woman who had taught him so much was gone. The ground hardened and Naruto turned away, already issuing orders to the shinobi who remained. He wouldn't dwell on it. Couldn't._

_A hand fell on his shoulder after the rest of the ninja had faded away into the shadows. Naruto turned to face the kind face of Chouji who was looking at him with compassion and he couldn't stop the gasp that broke from his lips. His throat felt tight, and Naruto rubbed his fingers harshly against his eyes. He hadn't cried in fifteen years, and he wasn't going to start now. But somehow his legs failed him, and he sank to his knees, his head bowed. Hands traced the hard dirt which now hid the body of his Anbu captain._

_"She would have hated the way she died." Naruto said quietly._

_"Who knows," Shikamaru said, lighting the cigarette. "I never understood what went through her mind." He blew out a stream of smoke. "You know what they say, Naruto. She was always searching for death."_

_"But not like this." Naruto countered. "She wanted to go out saving lives that wouldn't be saved otherwise. Not in some random, happen chance skirmish which left no one alive."_

_Shikamaru didn't answer, choosing instead to take a drag of his smoke. Chouji kept his hand on Naruto's shoulder, not saying anything. Of course, any platitudes Chouji could say would have been met with much less grace. _He_ hadn't been a member of the Anbu team, having never had the coldness necessary to do the job. However, Naruto and Shika had been on _her_ team. _

_And as Naruto erected a pile of stones over the grave, he couldn't help feel that he had failed her. If he had had the grit to remain in Anbu, she wouldn't have…_

Naruto woke up, the weight like a ten pound stone settling in his chest. Cursing quietly as he rubbed his face viciously, he sat up. It took a moment to orient himself.

He was in the cave where most of the guys slept, Kiba and Kakashi being the only exceptions. Kiba because Akamaru stunk after a few weeks of no bath, and Kakashi because the man had nightmares rivaled by none. No one wanted to be killed because of shadows of the past.

Quietly making his way out of bed so as to not disturb someone – a feat when in a room of Ninja – Naruto carefully made his way through the maze they called home and to the outside. Reaching the fresh air, he inhaled deeply and felt the tension fall from him. Away from civilization, the stars were free to shine brightly and the nearly full moon made his blood stir.

"What are you doing up, Naruto?" A tired voice spoke behind him. Naruto, having sensed him long ago, didn't start. "Mendokuse, if you were going to take guard duty anyway, why bother waking me up?" The lazy teenager slunk to the blonde's side, hands buried in his pocket and shoulders hunched.

"Couldn't sleep." Naruto answered the unspoken question quietly, looking up at the stars. Shikamaru snorted.

"Obviously." He yawned. "Not that I _care_ or anything, but what woke you?"

Instead of answering, Naruto returned the question with a question. "Do you have a strategy for beating nightmares, Shika? Or bad memories? Or flashbacks? I could ask you if you knew if there was a way to change time, but, hey, we're already doing that!" Naruto chuckled morbidly. Shikamaru sighed, jabbing his glowing cigarette against the stone wall to extinguish it.

The boys sat in silence, before Shikamaru uttered a, "Nightmares, eh? Mendokuse."

Shikamaru knew about nightmares. He had plenty of them to keep him occupied in the night, which was why he hadn't complained about guard duty _quite_ as much as he had in the past. Asuma's death plagued many of those dreams, while Kurenai's death was another recurring nightmare, He suspected that it was because of his feelings of guilt, having failed his promise to Asuma of taking care of his child and wife.

The boys sat in silence, neither of them feeling comfortable enough to talk about the trauma that sat underneath the surface. Instead they began to talk about funny incidents in the war: rookies with cocky attitudes, ridiculous orders, pompous council members and the like. Neither of them elaborated who those rookie mistakes had cost lives, and how those ridiculous orders had sent many shinobi to their deaths.

Instead, they concentrated on the humorous aspects of the war: people who had bet all of their food rations off for a week or people who had tried tampering with the cold water to make it hot and ended up setting off the attack alarms for the whole block resulting a lockdown until it was cleared up.

They shared stories of new recruits acting as if they owned their new position and breaking face in embarrassing ways. They remembered experiences on the Anbu team, or recalled missions with Ino or Chouji. They talked over battles, refreshing the strategies and tactics. Shikamaru scoffed once, saying that a certain battle had been planed by a complete nincompoop, and if Shikamaru had been in charge, the outcome would have been completely different. He critisized the placement of the troops, the location of the battle, the stupidity of the leader, and even the weather.

It was the closest Naruto had ever heard Shika brag.

They didn't talk about bloody hands, war crimes committed in the name of 'circumstances.' They didn't talk about holding comrades as they lay dying and screaming in their arms. They didn't talk about the times when they had reached their limit, when they had been unable to look at a kunai without flinching, or glance into a mirror without wanting to smash it.

Times when suicide was a very real thought.

Times when they _were_ psychotic. They _were_ insane. They were broken.

_Everybody breaks, Yuugao said quietly. You, me, your best friend - everybody. There's only one rule – never break in the field. If you do, you and everyone depending on you _will_ die._

Shikamaru watched the stars move slowly above. It was three hours till sunrise, which meant that it was almost time to wake the next guard. For a fem moments, the special jounin toyed with the idea of waking Neji earlier than agreed, but quickly discarded it as foolish. There was no need to earn the touchy Hyuuga's wrath before midday. Unfortunately, Shikamaru found that the quiet of the night allowed too much time for thinking.

Now normally, the genius wasn't averse to time to reflect on matters of life, and pondering the mysteries of the universe, not to mention deep questions such as which came first – the chicken or the egg?

Okay, to be truthful, Shikamaru often thought that thinking about deep and profound subjects to be troublesome, but when one had an IQ that was well in the high hundreds ones thoughts tended to drift to a deeper direction whether you wanted it or not. Thus, against his will Shikamaru found his thoughts drifting back to Konoha.

Shikamaru would have liked to delude himself and say that Konoha was another version of heaven – everything was perfect, no one was cruel or unjust, and no one was ever mistreated or discriminated against. Unfortunately, this was wishful thinking, and Shikamaru Nara, being a Nara, knew better than to cheat himself like that.

Fortunately, the opposite wasn't true either, and Shikamaru found lots of people he could truly call _good_. Chouji was one of those people. The Nara didn't even want to know what he'd be without his friend – Chouji was stability. It wasn't for nothing that his charka nature was rock, and Shikamaru had to admit that that Chouji was a main reason the Nara was still sensible.

When it seemed that the world had lost logic, reason and sanity and the Strategist was at the end of his wits, ready to do something quite bothersome, drastic and quite possibly somewhat deadly, along came his ruddy friend with a compassionate eyes, a bag of chips that he had 'mysteriously' procured, and a listening ear.

Chouji didn't offer platitudes, false reassurances, or well meant but poorly placed comfort. He just listened as the Nara ranted, his typically calm and bored exterior snapped. Chouji was also the one who could set Ino on Shika's tail in seconds. Ino was _scary_ when she was concerned, and to Shikamaru's fortune (or misfortune) she was an expert at cracking the surface to get under someone's skin, and Chouji wouldn't hesitate to alert her to any problems the lazy Special Jounin was having.

Chouji didn't have any problem with laughing from the background the entire time either.

Ino. She was the second reason the Nara was still relatively intact, with her uncanny ability of pinpointing the exact problem and offering a good solution.

And then… Then there was Naruto.

Naruto.

_Tch_.

Ten years ago, when Shikamaru was still skipping out of class with Kiba, Chouji and Naruto, if Shikamaru had told himself that Naruto would be the leader he followed without resentment or hesitation, Shikamaru would have cocked an eyebrow, classified them as insane in one of the numerous lockers Ino _insisted_ made up his mind, and forgotten about it. Naruto was in a few words: Unpredictable, savage, and _troublesome_. Not to mention a taboo around the adults. Shikamaru might have been only eight, but he was smarter than adults three times his age and he knew instinctively when something was a secret.

Secrets meant trouble.

And trouble was _such_ a drag.

At the age of eleven, Naruto was an casual friend. Good for entertainment? Sure, none better. Good at anything else? Eh, he'd have to get back to you about that. Trying to figure out the dilemma named after a whirlpool was far too much work, and to be frank, Shikamaru wasn't sure it was worth the effort. After all, what if he spent all that time digging and only found something as useless as Naruto's exterior. It wasn't worth it.

Harsh, to be sure. But logical.

And the dilemaNara were nothing if not logical.

However, at the age of eleven Shikamaru's world was rocked when Naruto stood up for Chouji in an excluded playground where he had nothing to gain from it. Well, nothing except a black eye, a broken arm and a missing tooth that somehow wasn't missing two days later. It was about then when Shikamaru started his close evaluation of Naruto. Everything from the clothes he wore '_ragged, worn, most likely hand me downs' _to his masks_ 'why is he cheerful? Shouldn't he cry?'_ to the way the villagers treated him. '_Sakumo-san has never been that harsh with me, or even with Ino when she put graffiti all over his wall… all Naruto did was try to pay for his food…_

It may have seemed strange for the Nara to begin observing his acquaintance of so many years, but anyone who stood up for Chouji was worth it, in Shikamaru's humble opinion. It was soon after that incident that Chouji and Shikamaru began hanging out with Naruto.

And suddenly, while Shikamaru couldn't honsetly say he was Naruto's _friend_, he found himself wanting to be.

Naruto was like that. He made you _want_ to be his friend and _want _to believe in him. He definitely had undeniable charisma. And when Naruto beat up the Hyuuga prodigy and defeated Gaara, Shikamaru could honestly say he wasn't surprised at all. What did surprise him, however, was his _own_ contribution to that victory when he knew he would have never contributed only three days prior.

Shikamaru sighed heavily. _Mendokuse…_

The last time Shikamaru had been shocked by Naruto (or at least, allowed himself admit to being shocked) had been when Naruto returned from his training trip. He had expected something from Naruto for when he heard about Gaara – declarations of a rival, or angry swearing perhaps. Looking back, Shikamaru acknowledges that he shouldn't have been surprised. Naruto's reaction had been so _Naruto,_ that he should have expected it. _A challenge to himself and a cry of happiness for his friend_, tch.

After that Naruto and Shikamaru found themselves working together more. It started out with briefings, talks of strategy, but soon they found themselves sharing missions. When Anbu had been desecrated, losing more than half of their troops in a single ambush, Tsunade had asked people to volunteer for ANBU. Shikamaru had somehow found himself roped less than a month after making Special Jounin and he was immediately placed on the same team as Naruto, who had more or less jumped on the opportunity.

As Sakura had declined, knowing she wasn't Anbu material, Sai had been sent as a Spy in Danzo's Court, and Kakashi had been assigned a long mission (Shikamaru had the feeling that the former-Anbu captain would have declined,) Naruto was the only one of his team to become Anbu.

Being the only person he knew, Shika guessed it was natural that Naruto and he would gravitate together, especially when the days got rougher. After Anbu, Shikamaru could sincerely, logically and truthfully say he _knew_ Naruto.

He could truthfully say he was _friends_ with Naruto.

After that, Shikamaru found himself doing all sorts of troublesome things for the blond, even to the point of putting his life and his team's lives at risk, even going so far as to go behind the Commander's back.

That's why, when Naruto began this harebrained crusade to change the past, a very troublesome and work filled crusade _by the way,_ Shikamaru hadn't protested, but began planning. A small part of him would have liked to see Asuma as a kid, znd he wouldn't mind pushing Asuma and Kurenai together a little earlier in life so that they could get over the denial stuff sooner. So he planned and he plotted, put down dates and considered motives, used Ino to judge how different people would react, and figured out times for different things to happen.

He pulled the strings from the shadows.

It was always the small things that caused the greatest movement. In game of go, it was usually the small and inconsequential moves won the victory. In a game of chess, sometimes the pawn that captured the King. Planning a strategy it was the subtle movements behind the curtain made your opponent fall into your traps.

A single stone causes ripples all across the pond.

Shikamaru was a genius.

He was a genius of the shadows.

And he was holding all the strings.

* * *

Uzumaki Kushina, a beautiful jounin whose hair went down past her waist, clear eyes and a full mouth, smiled as she pinned the announcement on the bulletin board. She stood back with a satisfied smirk to admire her work.

_Ladies Night_

_When?_

_5:00pm-1:00am_

_Where?_

_Takiri Bar_

_Requierments_

_A sense of humor_

_Don't be late!_

_No men allowed. This means _**you** _Minato._

Smiling in satisfaction, she spun around to find the object of her ire, one Namikaze Minato, leaning over her shoulder to examine the article. Kushina screamed, jumping in surprise, and punched him with a closed fist across the jaw. The blond man reeled back, his hand flying to his jaw. Blue eyes widened in shock.

"Hello to you too, Kushina!" Minato lifted a large callused hand to his aching jaw.

"Don't sneak up on me, moron!" She growled, poking a finger into his chest repeatedly. Brown eyes flashed in ire, and Minato retreated with hands held high.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down, Kushina-chan!"

"Why are you calling me –_chan_? Did someone give you permission to call me –_chan_? Because I know I certainly didn't!" The fiery red head glared at Minato one more time before pushing past him. "Aren't you supposed to be somewhere? You know, training your _team, _perhaps"

"I gave them the day off. We have some visitors and Obito took a liking to them." Minato answered, following after her.

Kushina rolled her eyes. "You know, in _my_ village, we weren't _given_ a day off."

"No, you just snuck off instead to dye the hair of the resident Kage pink. If I remember correctly you were also charged with taking all the underwear of the esteemed Takari clan and strewing it across the roofs of the village." Minato retorted, grinning.

Kushina froze, turning around with an evil grin. "What's this, _Minato-kun_, are you volunteering?" For the second time that week, Minato found himself doing an abrupt U-turn.

"No, no! Not at all! I just meant—"

Kushina turned away with a snort, flinging her long hair over her shoulder. The fiery locks smacked the blond in the face, where he received a mouth full. Sputtering, the tall man blinked several times, before registering the rapidly disappearing back of the red headed woman. He dashed after her.

"Oi! Kushina, I said I was sorry!" Mentally scolding himself for how _childish_ that sounded, the Namikaze skidded to a halt when Uzumaki froze, her back rigid.

"Sorry? Sorry?" She turned around, her eyes ice cold as she glared at him. "Sorry would be missing a date. Sorry would be coming to a party uninvited but leaving soon after. _Sorry_, my dear Minato-kun, would not be completely blowing off our meeting to go to a bar with friends, then crashing _my_ party with _my _friends so that we can resume our meeting," She made quotation marks, "'_Right this instant because it is important. Parties can come later."_

Minato blushed. "It was a month ago!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "And I didn't blow you off! Tamaki-san really needed--"

"Oh really? I was sitting there for three hours. Three _hours_ Minato!" Hazel eyes flashed. "Do you know how frustrating and _embarrassing_ it is to be sitting in one of the top restaurants of Konoha waiting for someone, who, by the way, said he'd pay, and then three hours later people begin to give you pitying looks? And then the waiter gives you your bill which is like, what? Over five thousand yen, when you had lowered your pride to accept someone's offer to pay because you couldn't pay your _rent_ fee that month!"

A funny look crossed Minato's face. "You accepted because you couldn't pay your rent?"

Kushina reddened, her face coming to rival her hair. "Never mind, I didn't mean it." She spun around and began to march off.

However, Minato could be like a dog with a bone when he wanted to be. "Wait, wait, wait, you couldn't pay your rent?" He quickly walked up to her, his considerably longer legs eating up the distance in less than a second.

"Well, Namikaze, not all of us have a big salary you know! Or the ability to take on three S-class missions a month!" She groaned, pulling her long hair up to braid.

And thus, Uzumaki Kushina, jounin of the Whirlpool Village, resident of Konoha, master of Kage Bunshin and other such techniques, Leading Terror of Pranksters Anonymous found herself with a serious eyed, concern filled tag along. She wouldn't put it past him to do this out of revenge for not accepting the 'date' as a "date." And that was how Minato, future candidate for Hokage, The Yellow Flash, and hero extraordinaire found himself forced to buy seven servings of dango, fourteen shish kabobs, two servings of steak, and a week's ration in ramen.

"So what would you accept as an apology?" Minato asked, a while later when they were both filling out paperwork for their genin teams. Obito had lost an entire stash of kunai and needed to get some more refunded. Rin needed a restock of medicine and more bandages. Glancing at Kushina's report, he blinked to see that she needed a refund on over forty items. Kunai, shuriken, wire, matches, blankets, sleeping bags and socks, of all things. "What are you doing? Buying out the armory?"

Kushina rolled her eyes, "You know, for someone trying to buy his way back into my good graces, you could have a _little_ more tact."

Minato shuddered.

Yellow Flash he may be, immune he was not. Kushina fought dirty. She could tear down someone's pride and self esteem as easily as one ripped the petals from a rose, and whenever she deemed that too docile she gave kicked a person in places that caused men all around to groan in sympathy. In battle she was ruthless.

Her ruthlessness with enemies was only evened out by her sheer loyalty to her friends. She would go to the gates of heaven or hell for anyone of them or commit herself to suicide missions, disobey direct orders, and Minato had on good authority (personal experience), she had turned into a missing nin to help one.

Also, surprisingly, whenever she _wasn't_ plotting revenge or in the middle of a temper tantrum over the perceived or immagined evils of the world, Kushina was the spunkiest, funniest, most fun loving person in the village. She always had a good word to say about anyone, even her rivals, though for them it usually consisted of, "They sure are tough (insert swearwords of your choice), aren't they?"

Oh yeah, she was also infamous for her… _salty_ language.

She could curse someone up one side and down the other without a hint of a blush, though it could not be said for any companions she had with her at the time. However, in the typical female manner of which they cannot or will not be simple, she had more diplomacy in her little finger than Minato had in his entire body. For sure, Minato was notorious for his complete lack in ability of trying to appease a kid with candy, so that wasn't saying much. Minato was forced to buy her seven servings of dango, fourteen shish kabobs, two servings of steak, and a week's ration in ramen, he concluded he didn't want her any other way.

Sighing, the Yellow Flash signed his name to yet another report. His mind flitted away from the fire eyed red head and to the dilema which had taken up most of his time lately: The Visitors.

He now wished he had never agreed to eat out that day. Maybe he would have gotten a moments peace, instead of all this confusion of suspicions and doubts. _Were they friendly? Were they an enemy? Were they neutral?_

He doubted it was the last. In his experience, even those who claimed to be neutral never were, and he had come to believe true neutrality was impossible. After all, a person could watch a soccer game between two teams without knowing either one and start to vote for the red team simply because of its color. It simply wasn't in mans nature to play the fence, which was why Minato never bothered.

The Hokage wasn't helping calm his suspicions much either.

Casting a glance at the woman beside him, he deftly picked up a few files and tucked them under his arm. It would be best to review these things away from prying eyes.

* * *

Ino woke with a loud yawn, her back popping with several sharp _cracks_ as she stretched. Throwing back the covers, she crawled out of bed to patter over to the mirror. Sakura remained sleeping, her arms wound around the pillow.

The hotel was a modest - cheep enough for their limited money, good enough that Ino wasn't feeling rats crawl over her in the night. The sun was already shining on the Hokage Mountain, the heads to glowing gold and red. Ino once again noticed how odd it was for there to be only three heads. It was rather annoying.

The village was already bustling, the crowds hustling down to the market._ It must be Wednesday. Market day and all…_

Before the war had cut off the supply of new styles, Market Day had been Ino's favorite time of the week. Prices lowered, the stores put out their best wares, and the excitement of the crowd hummed against your skin. Ino was always at the market selling flowers, her mother's stall set up across from the beads and embroidery booth which was run by Matsuri-san. Depending on the month, her stall was filled with an array of vivid colors which screamed out their worth to the passerbys.

When her mother relieved her, handing her some spare change for helping out, Ino would run to her favorite store to glance through the selections. She didn't always have enough money, but then she would save it for next time and hope that the shirt/skirt/pants hadn't been sold yet. If she was lucky it would be something they had been trying to sell for a while and so they would put it in reserve, but that was rare because it was _market day_, and who knew if someone else would come by to buy it?

The War had distorted market day for Ino. After it started the main reason one bought flowers was to put it on someone's grave. Silks, velvet, and bright colors were exchanged for rough fabric that didn't tear easily dyed in muted brown and forest green. Matsuri's stall changed, her fine and detailed needlework needed for the patching of cut and worn clothes. Fruit stalls became nonexistent as the orchards and vineyards were burned. Jewelry was no longer sold because it was flashy and drew attention. Hair styles became short, practical while black and brown dye was used liberally.

Ino kept her long blond hair, but only because it reminded her of her father. Even so, when she left the village she would tie it back with a plain brown hankerchief.

Eventually, even Wednesday became an ordinary day as there was less and less to sell. Sound and Konoha both set up blockades on the roads to ambush anyone supplying to the enemy village, and soon the merchants knew to stay away. It had been underhand, and Ino wondered if perhaps both villages had cut their feet off from beneath them.

The village market was bustling despite Konoha being in the middle of another war, but Ino imagined that this was because Iwa had Ame, Kusa, and Taki blocking its path, while Oto had been right on Konoha's borders. None of the stark terror and wariness that had become ingrained in the civilians back home, back in _her_ Konoha, was evident on the faces of the people outside. For a moment, Ino _hated_ Orochimaru with a burning passion. If that psychotic maniac hadn't been so obsessed with _power_ and _immortality_ nothing like this would have happened!

_The scardy cat._

Noticing that her fluctuating charka was brushing against Sakura and would wake her soon if Ino didn't calm down, she ruthlessly suppressed her feelings, bottling them up in a tight corner of her mind to dwell on later.

Yesterday had been a whirlwind of emotions, discoveries and tension. She had constantly been on her toes trying to figure out hidden motives behind anything, and seeing Konoha like this had been a shock. Sending a scowl at the Hokage Mountain she pulled the curtains closed and sat down to reflect.

Seeing mini-Kakashi had been a astounding, and the cheerful, Naruto-like, non-brooding totally non-emo Uchiha had just been _weird._ At least she had been _expecting_ the Kakashi-chibi!

Rin had been a fascinating character study, and Ino was sure that if Rin had had more opportunities and space to breath she would have been a great asset to the medic-nins. Rin was quiet and shy, almost painfully so, and she played a delicate role as the peacemaker in the group, as well as a member of the infamous Cell Seven Love Triangle.

Ino swore the monstrosity never died.

Ino hadn't missed the discrete glances at Kakashi any more than she missed the way Obito hung off of Rin's every word. It was almost like watching Team Seven – the Saku/Naru/Sasu Squad Seven – again. Except that Rin was very much more discrete, though Ino was sure both boys knew _exactly_ how she felt. To Obito's credit he wasn't fighting dirty for her affection, but Kakashi's callous attitude for the brown haired girl made Ino's chest hurt.

She herself had felt that kind of rejection.

Obito had spoken a lot of his classmates, and Ino was taken aback to see that she recognized many of the names as her own commanders and peers. It was weird to hear about Iruka-sensei being what, nine? And playing pranks? Wait, no, he had been thirteen when the Kyuubi had attacked, so he would be eight now! Erk! It was almost as weird as Asuma jumping onto a table and advocating abstinace from smoking!

Rethinking that, Ino screwed up her face. _Nah, too impossible. _

After they had spent two hours with the genin team and actually getting Kakashi to go away and sulk – an improvement, she had been quickly assured – Minato had returned a strange look on his face. Ino didn't like that look, but decided that he couldn't have found anything about them in such short time so she dismissed it. Besides, she was still getting used to the idea that the _Yondaime_ was standing beside her in all his cute herculean glory to ponder it overmuch.

If the fact he looked so much like another annoying blond she knew wasn't such a turn off she would have been flirting with him in ten seconds flat. Unfortunately, he just looked too much like Naruto for her peace of mind, and Ino would go out with Lee in spandex before going out with Naruto.

No offence meant to her fellow blond of course. _We blonds have to stick together after all!_

Ino began rummaging through her knapsack to find a change of clothes.

She paused all of the sudden, her face furrowed. _Now that I think of it, Naruto really does look disturbingly like the Yondaime. Same spiky hair, same eyes, same smile… Minato-sama is taller than Naruto, but that could be explained by his mother's side._

_Plus... Kyuubi._

_From what my dad's said, the Yondaime wasn't someone to push sacrifice onto someone else. He never asked anyone to do anything he couldn't do… Mendokuse! I think I'm going to have to bug Kakashi a bit when we get back. I can just feel the mystery._

Muttering indistinctly she scrounged out a wrinkled shirt with the words "Try? There is no Try. Do or Do not" scrawled across the back, and green shorts before stumbling into the bathroom. It was kind of nice to be a civilian, Ino mused as she examined the cute hot pink and baby blue shirt that had sparkly words on it. Not only did they get nice clothes, but they were able to separate the girls and guys into different rooms, something that rarely happened on a mission for convenience sake.

They had Naruto and Kiba's pickpocketing skills to thank for their wealth.

While Ino and Sakura were sharing a room, Lee was off sleeping by his lonesome. Not that he minded.

Sakura began to stir from her side of the room as Ino applied the final touches of her makeup. The blond eighteen-in-a-fifteen's-body glanced over as her best friend pulled the pillow over her head. "M'nin' alre'y? Mrph…"

The pink haired medic pulled the blanket over the pillow. Ino chuckled. When they had been younger, _Sakura_ had been the early bird and _Ino_ had been the late sleeper. However, that was before Sakura had begun pulling 20 hour shifts at the hospital. Frowning at the sudden input of memories, Ino returned to her long hair. Scooping it up, she quickly tied the long bits into a high pony tail while her bangs hung stylishly around her face. Grinning and blowing a kiss to her mirror self, Ino bounded out of the room sending a chipper, "Rise and shine, Sakura!"

The mound of blankets grumbled, and slowly something that slightly resembled a human slunk out. Ino faked a scream. "Oh help us! It's a zombie! A living dead person! Help me someone! Help!"

Sakura glared. "Shut up! Ino-pig!" However, the frown only made her pale, haggard face and dark rimmed eyes more pitiful, and Ino faked revulsion prior to laughing heartily.

"Tell me that when you don't look like something the cat dragged in." She scoffed, tossing her hair. Picking up a bracelet that Sai had somehow procured in the village close to the caves, she walked towards the door. "I'm going to check up on Lee." She sniggered. "Knowing him, he's been up for hours and going stir crazy!"

As if to accentuate her words, a rapid series of knocks sounded on the door. Grinning wider, the blond opened the door to see Lee bouncing on the balls of his feet. When the door opened Lee bounded into the room talking rapidly about various things as Ino rolled her eyes and laughed.

_Laughter… It feels so strange to laugh…_

_Have two months really gone by since the attack? _

Ino knew she had suffered damage from the attack. Flashbacks came at inopportune moments feeling as real as if they were happening right then. Feelings of foreboding and an expectancy for some sound nin to burst in and shatter any illusion of security came on her like a thief in the night.

Nightmares.

Nightmares plagued her, forcing her to remember every bloody detail after detail with no escape.

Guilt… Yeah, there was a lot of that too. _Shoulda, woulda, coulda. Should have gone here, shouldn't have let my guard down, could have stopped them from going. _Such things were useless, Ino knew, but her subconscious seemed unable to accept that. Instead it seemed bent on making her relive every single wrong choice she made during the war, and during war every mistake was dearly paid. Ino was the psychologist of the group, but who would talk her through her own problems? Shika? Not likely. Chouji? Nuh uh. Sakura? Heh.

Maybe she was being stubborn, Ino admitted as she watched Lee hang all over Sakura, but she would rather go insane than burden her own friends with her guilt.

Sakura glanced at her. "Ino, you okay?"

_Did she see…?_ Ino smiled. "I'm fine."

* * *

Kiba and Naruto were teasing Chouji with stories about his misadventures of liquor. The boy was blushed red and denied it all. After all, there was no way _he_ would start tap dancing on the table while stripping and singing the _Backstreet Boys '_Get Down Tonight.'

Shikamaru just shrugged when Chouji shot a desperate glance towards him and the 'big boned boy' paled before flushing deep red. Well, if they were going to be that way, Chouji had his own stories to tell. "Fine then! What about that time when you lost a fight against a fence post, Kiba! You weren't even drunk!"

The dog boy stopped in mid-word, his mouth hanging open. Naruto glanced at him curiously, aware that Shikamaru was listening attentively. "That was a one time thing!" Kiba blurted out. "It was a complete fluke and not worth mentioning!" He glanced at the two onlookers. "Well-Naruto, shall-we-see-if-Hina's-up-for-some-training? Bye!"

With that a red faced Kiba dragged the bemused and curious Naruto out of the narrow ravine towards the caves, ignoring Naruto's, "Kiba, you do realize we are _leaving_ the training area, right?"

Shikamaru smiled as he walked up to the satisfied Akimichi. "Happy?"

Chouji smiled back. "Revenge is a dish best served when it gets them out of your hair, right Shika?"

Shikamaru groaned. "You've been listening to Sai again, haven't you?"

Chouji laughed and sat down, pulling at his brown pants uncomfortably. Reaching down to draw his silver knife he ran a whet stone down the blade, the '_shink, shing'_ echoing off of the red and pink walls. "Have you decided what you're going to sell at the bazaar yet?"

Shikamaru snorted. "No. Have you?"

"Of course!" Chouji exclaimed, waving the knife around. "The finest beef and pork, coupled with well made noodles that are neither too raw or too soft. For side menus, I will produce chicken sticks, ramen, and dango.

"These will, of course, be in small quantities, as they _are_ on the go. Lucky for us that Kakashi's so good with a knife he can make the wooden bowls as necessary. I even got Sai to paint on them. Have you seen them yet? Anyway, I'll also have soba (which Hinato offered to make by the way, isn't she sweet?) and tempura, wasabi and a suchi bar for Wednesdays!"

Chouji grinned. "Naruto added a pull out stall to the cart, but of course Kakashi had to repair it after it almost fell off, but the idea was good so we used it. We also have a chips section of course. Remember how rare those got during _our_ war?"

Chouji paused for breath and Shikamaru hastily broke in. "Yeah, yeah. The only thing I don't get is how we got the cows, pork, flour, chips and other things in the first place."

Chou brightened again. "Oh that was easy! We used some of the spare money we got from Konoha, and you know those two weeks when you had to go scouting for what-chama-call-its?"

"The sander, screwdrivers and other tools?"

"Er, that's what it was? I thought it was marking a safe way to get back to the caves?"

"That too."

"Well, anyway, Kiba and I got a job at one of the nearby civilian towns and there was a farmer there, and we helped him out and took a cow or two as payment!" Chouji grinned. "So that's why the lowing you've been hearing for the last two days isn't your imagination."

Shikamaru glanced at him sharply. "How did you know about that?"

"You should stop mumbling to yourself." The stout boy replied, swishing his knife around rapidly before returning it to its scabbard. Tossing it up in the air he caught it with a flourish. "Well, that's enough about me, what are you going to do?" Looking at the spiky haired boy closely, he stated, "You really haven't even thought about it, have you?"

"Nah…" Shikamaru replied stretching out on the ground. "It was too—"

"Troublesome." The boys chorused, grinning at each other.

"You know, Ino's gonna be hacked." Chou cautioned, reaching into his pack to get an apple. Shikamaru waved it off as one would a fly.

"That girl gets hacked if her lip gloss disappears for ten seconds. I can handle her."

"Reaaaly…" Chouji said skeptically. He sat up and waved cheerfully. "Hi Ino!"

Shikamaru performed a wonderful depiction of an acrobat with knee problems as the Nara hurriedly tried to stand up, only for his mind to catch up to him and remind him that, '_Ino's gone for at least another week.'_ Scowling at his laughing friend, the Nara uttered, "Et tu, Chouji? Mendokuse."

Chouji kept chuckling as he pealed an apple with the sharp silver knife. "You are whipped, Shika. _Whipped."_

The Nara scowled. "Am not. You're just as scared of her as I am."

Chouji shrugged.

"Sure. But I at least know to _admit it_."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Sure you do."

The pinapple-haired boy leaned back against the ravine wall. It was a beautiful cavern, Shikamaru admitted. High, glazed walls with the signs of the river which had carved them painted onto the rose sides. Juted ridges that added color and contrast, and arched rock paths that crisscrossed their way around. The stone was made of some unknown mineral, because Shikamaru had never heard of anything that absorbed charka the way it did. The sky was visible and shone down light into the ravine. Strangely, it shone _through_ the natural walkways which then channeled the sun into pure energy.

Privately Shikamaru was beginning to wonder if these caves with tunnels between them and ravine with conveniently placed passageways that just happened to act like light bulbs were really _natural_ occurrences. His own conclusion was that they were caves that had been adapted by a nomadic people for their own purposes. But no one asked him, so he kept his opinions to himself.

Chouji glanced at him. "Really, Shika, what are you going to do?"

"The money counter." Shikamaru answered dryly. "Or maybe I could host shougi competitions…"

"Nope, sorry, Neji's claimed that one."

Shikamaru turned on his side and stared at his friend incredulously. "_Neji?"_

Neji sneezed twice as he stoically rubbed the silver ware, his face unchanged at being lowered to such a demeaning task. If the Rokudaime had ordered him to bend his noble elbows to clean after other people's messes, who was he, a lowly jounin and once Anbu Commander candidate, to protest? After all, it was an honor to serve the Hokage in any way, shape or form.

But what he couldn't understand is why the honored Hokage had the _audacity_ to assign him to KP with _this_ lowly individual.

"What's that, --, I think you missed a spot. Those precious eyes of yours failing you?" Kiba sneered. He roughly slammed a tin plate into the improvised dish rack (stones lined up at certain distances) and grabbed another one. Neji scowled, eyes flashing like ice. Fighting to control himself he repeated Rule 14. _You must not kill your allies. You must not kill your allies. You must _not_ kill your allies. But it doesn't say anything about _maiming_ them. _

And Kiba wondered why his adversary was grinning.

* * *

_Year 2.6 of Sound/Konoha War._

_Hidden Location in Oto_

_The shadow crept slowly towards the camp, hands slowly bushing aside twigs that might crack and alert the targets below of his approach. The shadow winced as dry leaves crinkled under his knee, but the figures below didn't seem to notice. Not one to take things at face value, the boy stayed still, his breath shallow as to not be overheard. So what if a Konoha probably couldn't hear someone whispering over the sound of crickets – the enemy was called _Sound_ for a reason. _

_Yawning loudly, the tall redheaded deadlocked man stood up, unbuckling his belt and voicing the need to answer the call of nature. That was all well and good, one less man for the boy to deal with. That is, it would have been well and good if the afore said man wasn't heading _straight here.

_Swearing under his breath, the shadow scurried back into to the deepest reaches of the forest he could manage. The man stopped right where the boy had been before and went about his business calmly, not seeming to notice anything. However, the Konoha shadow had suddenly discovered an urge to sink into the ground or maybe just disappear. _Why oh why didn't I listen to my earth _jutsu_ lessons?

_Suddenly aware of how loud his breathing was, the boy clasped a hand around his mouth a nose, trying to stifle it. In his hurry, the leaves under his belly 'crunched.' The sound nin's head jerked up, suddenly alert, and in the shadows, the young chuunin resisted the urge to groan. That would definitely alert the stupid sound guy to his location, not to mention break who knows how many unwritten codes._

_The enemy ninja was now scouring the area around him, walking in a slow, careful circular motion that reminded the chuunin just a _little_ too much of a panther. _

_No! He couldn't find him now! Not after he had done so much, risked so much. His team was in that camp, bound up in chakra suppressing ropes, and… and… there were bruises! And cuts! And had that been a whip mark on his ankle?_

_He had defied the Hokage's orders. He had disobeyed nii-san. His teacher would probably never speak to him again, considering he had knocked sensei over the head, trussed him up and thrown him into a nearby closet. He had convinced one of his best friends to assist him in fighting through several of his former classmates so his providentially suicidal mission would have a fighting chance, and he knew she was probably in the detention center. He knew he was most likely marked down as a missing nin._

_He had lied to nii-san! He had broken nii-san's trust._

_He had gone too far to turn back. He didn't even _want_ to turn back. He had promised himself he wouldn't turn back. He had promised Chi-chan to bring them back._

_He was Sarutobi Konohamaru, and he wasn't going back on his word._

Sakura waved a cheerful goodbye to the Gate Guards.

After sealing the deal with the Hokage and pounding out the details of their trading agreement before spending the rest of their time monitoring the rivalry between a certain crybaby Uchiha and stoic Hatake, they were ready to leave. It had been good to see old friends again, if without the countless wrinkles and age marks that had dotted their faces when _she_ knew them. And it had been hilarious to watch Asuma, - who she had met while speaking to his father – and Kurenai dance around each other. Merciful heavens! Had she ever been that young?

She wishes she could say no, but she had some rather embarrassing memories of throwing herself at a black haired, deep dark eyed boy that just _dared_ her to try and deny them. She linked her arms with Ino and dismissed those thoughts as useless.

The girls burst into song, a jaunty tune which rang over the short field which led to the trees. They laughed, heads thrown back and hair free, Ino's hand waving in tune with the raucous music, and Lee imagined that she was moving much the way a choir director would when drunk. The music wasn't all that good either.

Not that he would say that to them…

But really, _Backstreet_ _Boys_?

* * *

_The sound nin was right in front of him, his feet only inches from his face. Konohamaru slowly suppressed what chakra he could, making sure that it didn't vanish all at once, as that would _absolutely_ show the enemy where he was. Or rather, where he wasn't. _

_He screwed up his face. Dak Ibisu-sensei and his long winded explanations!_

_Never before had the boy wished quite so much that he was a Nara. _Then,_ he thought ruefully,_ I wouldn't be just wishing I could sink into shadows.

_The man had been standing there for what seemed like hours! Was he ever going to move?_

_"Come out, come out wherever you are…" The sound nin called, his voice soft and enticing. However, Konohamaru shuddered in the shadows, the unspoken "…So I can kill you," ringing in his ears. The feet moved on and Konohamaru sighed in relief._

_Too soon._

_A hand stretched through the bushes and yanked him up by his collar. "Gotcha." _

_Konohamaru was dangling, his face pulled up close to the sound nin's. Terror gripped him, settling like a cold hard stone in his ribs. The bitter taste of fear stung his tongue, filling his mouth, and he could feel his breath come in short gasps. He was so close to the man Konohamaru could smell his breath, stale and nasty, blowing into his face. _

_The man laughed. "Ohhhh I've caught a little spy, have I? Come to check up on your friends, eh? Or are you the advance guard?" The sound nin looked him over with sharp hazel green eyes. "I guess I shouldn't let you cry out, eh, little bird? Might alert them, eh? Poor trapped little bird. Caught in the tigers claw with no one to help you." His hands tightened around Konohamaru's neck. "Scream for me, _little bird."

* * *

They waited until they were out of the patrol range of Konoha before taking to the trees, because it really wouldn't be good to pull off that masterpiece of acting just to blow off all their hard work because of convenience. Once they were sure their followers had left, convinced the strangers were making their way out of the Konoha Area to their Caravan, the three of them took to the trees like squirrels. Ino had changed into treaded tennis shoes, while Sakura had put on shinobi sandals during a 'breather.'

Lee took the lead, his keen eyes picking up the subtle markers pointing them to their way home. A small broken twig with a string here, a nick here, tiny splatters of paint there. Shikamaru had done his job well - They were so subtle that he wouldn't have seen it if he weren't looking for it.

The path they were following had been set up by Shikamaru during one of his shopping/hunting trips. It would lead them in a roundabout way around the mountain, taking them by safe, avalanche free roads to their cave, while losing anyone still on their tail.

Lee's head jerked, and he stopped in a crouch on his branch. A slight tremor and ripple in the air was all that alerted him to Sakura and Ino lighting onto nearby branches. Ino was watching him, while Sakura scanned the foliage beside them for any sign of what could have made Lee stop. They would sense it, Lee knew. The potential enemy was only a hundred meters in front of them, so it would be impossible to miss him.

If this were their time, their Konoha, their game, they would have let out a bird call to see if it was a fellow team. If the call weren't answered, they would have attacked. But, they weren't in their time, their Konoha, and this wasn't their game. So, they crept into the shadows, subtle chakra masking their departure as they melted into the background foliage.

Only moments later, an Iwa group waltzed into their path, the visitors watching as the interlopers crept towards Konoha's borders. Their movements were confident, almost swaggering, and Ino could tell that at least one of them was newly promoted. Chuunin and ready to take on the world, they thought. She pursed her lips grimly.

They would get themselves killed at this rate.

The nervous one glanced around constantly, his large head swiveling on his long, skinny neck so hard Ino got whiplash just watching him. He wouldn't last long, not with his trembling hands, quivering mouth and doe eyes portraying his utter innocence and freshness for all to see. In any other time or place Ino would have found the sight of an innocent ninja refreshing, but not during a war. During a war the soft eyes that gave hope for a better generation were despised for being the weak link which could break a team. Weak links got their partners killed.

Lee kept his eyes on the leader, his trained eyes easily picking up the signs of battle that scarred him. He was the most experienced, he was in charge, and he was arrogant. A dangerous combination to both sides. A confident, arrogant leader was one of the worst mixes you could get, just after incompetent-arrogance and hesitant-sensitive. A confident-arrogant thought he was invincible. He thought that because he was leader, nothing bad would happen to his men, because, after all, _he_ was here to take care of them. Normally a few battles would have broken this way of thinking, often shattering the man as well, but when one went through battles and _won_, suddenly the arrogance had justification. Lee pitied the team. It was doubtful they would come back.

Sakura's eyes were on the youngest of them. It was a small boy, at max only ten years old. Brown hair, pale skin and light hazel eyes should have been filled with life, rose color, and laughter. The boy, had he been born a civilian, would be running through fields, flying kites with his friends, chasing dogs, and throwing slugs and worms at girls. Instead, the boy's features were devoid of life. There was no stain of red on his pale cheeks, nor a spark of laughter in brown eyes, and his limp, dull hair hung around his face in unkept locks. Sakura, had she been a civilian, would have cried.

The fourth member of the team was also young, only thirteen or fourteen, but it was old enough to wear that newly minted chuunin vest. He spoke rapidly to his team, his hands waving in wide and enthusiastic gestures to make his points. Blue eyes were wide with excitement, and he couldn't seem to control his gentle bounds as he rapidly relayed his story. His face was flushed with adrenaline, and Sakura wearily wondered if this was his first foray into enemy territory. A glance at Ino showed the same thing was running through the blonds mind, and a glance at Lee revealed the blatant pity felt for the boy.

It was right about then when they heard the familiar bird call sent from one cell to the another.

Lee tensed, wry muscles hard as he gripped the branch. The team below showed no sign of recognition and continued on their way. The bird call came again, this time sharper. The young boy with dead eyes glanced up, sharp eyes examining the bushes suspiciously. He was interrupted by an arm as the happy-go-lucky lad swung an arm around him, trying to get his attention. Lee closed his eyes sadly, knowing better than to sigh.

There was no more to see.

Konoha attacked swiftly, their movements decisive as they burst from the foliage down to their prey below. The nervous one was the first to go as he was easiest, and no one wanted to ignore the weak link only for it to stab them in the back because they weren't watching. What irony it would be to survive the toughest fighters, only to die because you were to worn to fight the weakest.

A knife ripped the new chuunin open from one side of the neck to the other before leaving him to die where he fell, his movements jerking as he tried to stop the bleeding only to fall still.

The happy-go-lucky boy was the next down, and Lee was morbidly pleased to see he but up a better fight. He managed to severely wound his attacker, whipping out a weight and chain which acted as a thick whip, but a newly minted chuunin survive against a veteran was too much to ask for in a surprise attack, and the boy went down as one of the tendons in his leg was cut. To his credit he kept on fighting, but he was fighting a battle already won, and a kunai to the heart closed bright eyes forever.

His killer collapsed soon after, a long blade piercing his heart, the wielder, the jaded boy wielding it with righteous fury. It was a startling change, considering that Lee had seen him just moments ago, apathetic as he fought off his jounin assailant. _"He was just promoted, you --."_ The boy jerked the sword out with a sickening 'squelch,' and turned on the jounin again, face red and eyes narrowed in anger. The full capabilities of the kid were revealed as he soundly trounced the Konoha leader, staying the killing blow only when he heard his own leader cry out. A glance over his shoulder showed the confident man slumping, eyes glazed, and the kid paused, face passive again.

"Mission failure." He said dully. "I knew I should have worked alone."

He stabbed the jounin, and turned to the two remaining chuunin. With a quick blur of movement, shunshined away and sank under ground. It was two on one now, favorable odds, but the boy didn't appear and Sakura knew he was long gone. It was only after the Konoha survivor had checked the bodies that they realized the jounin was critically injured but still alive, and it was only after a body count that they noticed the boy had taken the body of the thirteen year old with him.

With a start, Ino and Lee realized he had left the jounin alive to delay pursuers, and after glancing at Sakura they realized she had known all along. The trio was forced to wait for half an hour before the two chuunin had their leader ready to travel, but then they resumed their journey.

"He won't survive, you know." Sakura said when they could talk again. A sandaled foot, lightly landed on the next branch before strong muscles pushed her onwards. "That kid knew what he was doing: the jounin won't last long. He has five, maybe six hours, and that's _if_ they get him to Konoha in time. The kid's bought himself a good twelve hours at the most, but that's enough."

Lee nodded. Twelve hours was more than enough to disappear.

* * *

It was with great relief that they saw the opening to the cave. The covered wagon, a product of weeks of labor by Naurto, Kakashi, and Kiba stood just inside the cave, its tan cover showing through the shadows of the Midday. Akamaru and Kiba were playing a game of Ninja Fetch, which included hair-raising stunts and high-speed chases. They saw Shikamaru and Neji playing shougi in the front, a rare look of concentration on Shika's face. He almost seemed… competitive, if Ino would dare put that word together with the lazy boy.

A flash of triumph crossed the spiky haired boy's face and he played a move, only to scowl as Neji countered, a look of pure smugness hanging off of him. Shikamaru growled something to which Neji answered back amicably. Ino resisted rubbing her eyes. _What the—_

Shikamaru fell into his thinking place, hands formed into their habitual shape as he scanned the board. However, his body practically screamed tension and… desperation? As Ino watched, shocked, Sakura nudged her. "_Pst_, what's up with them?"

"I have no idea! What could have possibly induced Shika to—"

"Not them! _Them!"_ Ino followed Sakura's pointing finger to see Chouji, Kakashi and Naruto watching the two boys with greatly amused faces, money exchanging hands rapidly. Occasionally, Naruto would look at Chouji, his face ranging between admiration and disbelief before shaking his head and chuckling. If it were anyone but Chouji, Ino would have bet that Chouji had played a prank on someone, but that just wasn't possible. Hinata walked out of the cave and spotted the trio, her face brightening. "Lee! Ino! Sakura! You're back!"

The former heiress picked her way through the crowd of boys, her smooth movements drawing the attention of Kakahsi as she dodged the Getsuunga Kiba was using to escape Akamaru. Hinata smile widened in relief as she confimed that, yes, the girls were back, and no, she wouldn't be left as the only girl drowning in the midst of testosterone again for a long while. Sakura felt a smidge of pity for the Hyuuga.

Hinata was pretty much banned from appearing in Konoha until the contact lenses they ordered arrived, her job as Chouji's subordinate cook nonwithstanding. Neji had already received his, but there had been a problem with Hinata's order and it had been delayed another week.

Actually, Sakura pondered, counting back mentally, the contacts should be in any day now, which was good, because there was no way Neji or Kiba were leaving Hinata behind all alone, and Akamaru wouldn't leave Kiba, and the wagon wouldn't move without Akamaru!

Sakura shook her head in amusement as she approached her teammate. "What's going on, Naruto? Kakashi?"

Kakashi, face bare, his fake brown hair cut short and spiky, smiled at her, amused. "Let us just say Chouji is a little more devious than anyone gave him credit for."

_Huh?_ Sakura's confusion must have shown on her face, because Naruto grinned. "Chouji knew that Shika didn't have anything planned, so he set Shika up to think that Neji had taken over the shouji games. Neji, of course, has no idea what's going on, but with some well-placed ego-stoking, Chouji was able to get both of them in this competition. That way, when Shika wins, which he will, he'll take over the shouji games as if he earned it, which he'll think he does, while Neji will have his ego knocked down a few pegs. It's foolproof!"

Sakura watched him skeptically, an eyebrow gracefully cocked. "And you don't think Shika can see through this?"

Kakashi laughed lightly. "Later, perhaps, when he has recovered his Nara calm. But right now, I think that infamously nonexistent Nara pride has been stung. Nara's tend to be very calm and hard to rile, but once they're awake, they are definitely awake." He cocked his head. "Though you do have a point. It's unlike Shika not to realize this."

Naruto snorted. "The only reason he doesn't is because this came from _Chouji_. Anyone else and he would have seen through it instantly. Chouji, on the other hand, has never done this before." He laughed, his eyes crinkling cheerfully, the red glints of his pupils glinting as he glanced to the boy beside him. "At least, not to _my_ knowledge. For all we know, he could have been going behind all our backs and framing _me_ for his misdoings. Who knows, he may be the miscreant who really tried to make a move on—"

Chouji blushed. "Hey!"

Naruto grinned. "Poor innocent Chouji."

Kakashi chuckled as Chouji tried to glare menacingly at Naruto, his kind nature somehow keeping his face from twisting to an intimidating scowl. Instead, he ended up looking a bit like a sulky child. A cute sulky child, Sakura laughed, resisting the urge to ruffle a hand through his ruddy auburn locks. Ino however, had no such inhibitions, and coming up behind him she disheveled his hair, grinning as he jumped in shock.

"What's this I hear? You set up Shikamaru?"

Chouji told the story again, grinning at Ino as he explained how he cleverly conned the schemer into his plot. A feral grin crossed Ino's face as she listened, her blue eyes sparkling. The group turned to watch Shikamaru make another move, and Neji, after scanning the board for a good fifteen minutes, sighed and admitted defeat. And when Shikamaru came up and _politely_ stated he would be hosting the shougi games, Ino and Chouji exchanged glances…

And smiled.

* * *

_Konohamaru gasped as he felt the air leave his lungs with nothing to replace it. "Well, little shinobi! I guess I better take you back to camp, and tie you up, eh little shinobi?" The Ninja chuckled darkly, puling out a knife and tracing a line from one side of the boy's neck to the other, leaving a red streak. "Then we'll have some fun, won't we!"_

_Konohamaru struggled futily as the Sound nin ruthlessly backslapped him and swung him over his shoulder. The enemy's shoulder dug into Konohamaru's solar plexus, knocking all the breath out of him. His throat was no longer closed, and he drunk in what air he could greedily. His jaw ached, but, when did it not? Either it was Moegi punching him, or Naruto punching him, or who knows punching him. So why did he feel so dazed?_

_Konohamaru didn't realize that friends hold back even when they don't want to, but his capturer had no conniptions to man handling the fourteen year old. So, as he berated himself for being weak and struggled against chakra bonds, the cruel eyed Sound Shinobi carried him to the village. The grandson of the Hokage knew that he was trapped with no escape, but he would be – before he gave up without a fight. So he wriggled and kicked, he scratched and tried to bite, and he was pounded for his efforts._

This is the end,_ Konohamaru realized. _Moegi!... Udon… I tried. I-I don't want you to die.

_It happened so fast, he didn't sense it. One moment he was held by the enemy, marching to torture and death, the next he was hanging in the arch of someone's arm, his hands and feet hanging down limply. He glanced up into the determined and serious face of Uzumaki Naruto as he glared at the suddenly empty handed foe below. "Nii-san!" He gasped. _

_Naruto looked down, hard eyes softening slighting, before hardening as red eyes made out the dark shade of the swelling bruise, the purple hand print that circled Konohamaru's neck, to the trickling blood that came from the slight knife wound. For a second the boy could have sworn Naruto growled as he turned to glare sharply at the man below. Naruto set Konohamaru down with strict instructions to, "Sit there. I'll be done in just a second."_

_The man below was trembling, his formerly dominating and cruel eyes wide with fear as they took in the sight of the flame edged trenchcoat, red eyes, and fangs. He felt the sharp killing intent that rained down on him, and suddenly his pants were startlingly wet, despite the fact he had come out here to relieve himself. He backed away, so scared he could even scream for help, couldn't think to grab a kunai, or make the seals for a jutsu. _

_Konohamaru blinked, and suddenly neither the enemy nor Naruto were in his vision. Then the lifeless body of the sound nin fell to the forest floor. The fourteen year old didn't have to be a medic nin to tell that the man was dead. He sighed in relief, all fear bleeding away. Naruto landed beside him and the dark haired boy naturally gravitated to him, his youth needing the chaotic stability of the blond. Any civilian would have found it disturbing, how a boy of fourteen felt safe so close to a man who had just murdered._

_Eyes, now crystal clear blue, scanned the younger Konoha shinobi, lingering on the bruise and cut. Rough but gentle hands examined the marks of abuse. "We need to get you to Sakura. She can hea—"_

_"No!" Konohamaru burst out, slapping Naruto's hand away. Subconsciously the Sarutobi noted how his nii-san drew back as if wounded, a hurt look flashing over his face. "I won't leave them! Not after coming this far! I-I can't! I-I'll fight you if I have to! I won't go back without—"_

_A tan hand covered his mouth. "Did I say anything about leaving them behind?" Naruto's eyes were amused, his lips quirked into a small, sad smile. "Sakura's with me."_

_Drawing himself into his full height, Naruto feigned offense. "Besides, who do you think I am? Some kind of unloyal treacherous fiend who would leave teammates and friends behind?" _

_Konohamaru glanced down, eyes haunted, and abruptly Naruto felt like the biggest heel in the Shinobi World. He reached out a bronzed hand again, calloused fingers tilting his adopted brother's chin back up. "I didn't mean it that way, nii-chan. You did the right thing, running to come alert us. And now that's gonna pay off."_

TBC…

Whooo...

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	6. The Start of the Second Act

Here is Chapter Six! I am so sorry over the delay! I got a new Beta, and unfortunately, he had to deal with a lot of back lag because of my previous chapters. We skipped ahead to do this one, so chapters should be back on the weekly schedule now!

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, favorited or bookmarked!

Enjoy!

* * *

Sakura laughed as she relayed their adventures in Konoha. Everything from Obito's reactions, to Kakashi's clothing, to how the Sandaime had less wrinkles and looked like he could handle himself were taken apart and relayed. However, it was only when they came to the story of the patrol that things got serious.

Suddenly everyone had an image of some other failed mission in mind where they had only been able to escape by leaving the bodies of the dead behind. Shikamaru thought of a mission while in Anbu, the last one just before he handed in his resignation. He had been the only one to return.

Naruto thought of his tenth attack against Akatsuki where Yamato-taichou had finally been put to rest. Yamato had served as a commander for two years before Naruto surpassed him. Even after Naruto became the senior officer, he had often returned to Yamato's superior experience.

Sakura contemplated the faces of deceased patients, while Ino remembered those she failed to save because she couldn't extract critical information out fast enough. Sometimes, when she had foolishly believed no one could resist her, people had died because she accepted false information from a captive.

Chouji remembered his first genin team massacred on a C rank mission, while Neji recalled Gai nearly bursting all his Celestial Gates to save him.

And the list went on.

Abruptly, Naruto stood and walked out of the cave, only stopping to grab a water sack and a large piece of leftover canvas. Sai's eyes followed him until he disappeared, and then, with a heavy sigh the painter followed, grabbing a blanket from Hinata, food from Ino, and herbs from Sakura. If Naruto was going to go on a hare-brained adventure, he might as well have someone watching his back.

* * *

The blond walked without direction, just going wherever the wind directed him. _They stopped here… _It whispered by his ear. _He stopped to drink… _It pushed him in the right direction, whispering news and instructions in his keen ears. In a chakra-soaked country - where Chakra took a life of its own in the form of foxes and raccoons with numerous tails - the concept of wind being _sentient_ really wasn't that strange.

_Ssstttooopp…_ It hissed. Naruto stopped. He listened to the unnatural silence, the overly peaceful atmosphere grating on his nerves. He ignored the subtly placed suggestion that said _nothing here, look the other way. _Keen senses picked up signs. A trail of scent of human blood on the wind, the salty twang that stung his tongue; he listened to the small puffs of air that would be impossible for a normal human to hear. He turned away from the bushes to rest his back against the rough side of an old tree. He glanced deliberately to where he knew the Iwa-nin was hiding, and then glanced away. His eyes remained fixed on the foliage of the trees in front of him, and when the Iwa-nin he sensed finally succumbed to exhaustion, strained nerves finally succumbing to blessed unconsciousness, Naruto rose. He pulled away the camouflage to reveal the brown-haired boy and his dead friend.

Naruto felt pain jut through him. For once Ino had judged wrong. The boy was at most eight, though the lines on the his face made it easy see how she could have mistaken him for ten. No child should age so quickly. Even, or perhaps especially, in the shinobi life. Naruto's battle-scarred eyes hardened.

The young child, if he could be called as such, had his hand curled around the older lad's hand as if it were a lifeline, and sadly Naruto acknowledged that perhaps it was. He gently extracted the younger child and picked him up, sending a sad, mournful glance back at the still figure laying on the ground, his glassy eyes staring to the heavens. He could tell that the boy had been cheerful and fun-loving. His eyes were peaceful, his lips gently curved, and his brow was free from any mark of frown or surliness. His character was apparent by the way his face was removed from any jadedness.

Naruto turned away and carried the limp body of the living to the stream where he wet a band of cloth and set about bandaging the wounds that covered the boy. He was the right size for his age, Naruto noted. He hadn't been malnourished, nor had he been overfed. His induction into the Iwa ranks at this age either meant that he came from a strong ninja family or that Iwagakure was recruiting even younger than ever. When he was sure the boy was comfortable on Naruto's cloak, the blond stood and made his way over to the still figure still left in the bushes.

Reaching out, Naruto gently closed the pre-teen's eyes, wondering all the while if he had chosen this path, or it if had been forced upon him. He pulled the rough, sandy canvas off his back and wrapped the boy so only his face showed. Picking up the boy again, he moved him to his final resting place and dug a hole, knowing from experience that his younger teammate would want to see him off.

He settled down to wait.

* * *

Shinsei Airo hissed as he returned to consciousness. _Stupid. Stupidstupidstupid. Some chuunin you are, Shinsei! Fall asleep where there's a potential enemy around. _He lay still and silent on the ground, not daring to move in case his adversary had found him. He tensed when he realized he was not in the same place he was before and Gin wasn't beside him. _Gin. Oh Gin._ The eight-year-old whimpered.

"Finally up?"

Shinsei leapt to his feet, hand rushing towards his weapons pouch. He landed on his left hand and flipped a safe distance away from the voice. He crouched facing the blond teenager, his jaw tightening at the amused look the red-flecked blue eyes cast at him. "Easy there!" The voice was brash and rocky but kind.

"Who are you." The young boy demanded, not straightening from his stoop. _Calloused hands, confident manner, he didn't react when I moved. Non-civilian._ "What do you want from me?"

"From you? Ha!" The blond snickered. "You have nothing of value on you. However, from me? Now that's another story. I'd like to help you."

Shinsei snorted. "Help me, for free? Ha, that's a laugh. I'm young, not naive. What are you really playing at?" The brown-haired child glanced around. "Where's Gin?"

_My hand's trembling…_

For the first time, the laughing look faded from the tanned face of the fair-haired teenager. Blue eyes sobered, and the cheerful grin dimmed. "That's his name? It's a good name." His eyes softened slightly. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"I don't need your pity!" Shinsei bit out angrily. The blond didn't react.

"No, you don't." He shook his mane of golden spikes. "My empathy on the other hand…" He stood up, dusting hands off on his black pants. They were jeans, Shinsei noted in surprise. _No shinobi would wear jeans. Too restricting._ "Names N-Naoki. As for your friend… I prepared a burial place. I thought you might want to say your goodbyes."

Shinsei's throat tightened, and he felt as if someone had rammed him in the brisk basket. _Say… goodbye? But… it seems like we just said hello._

* * *

The hand on his shoulder startled him, and he looked up into the kind face of the stranger. "Come on. I didn't know him, but I think he'd like a decent send off."

Sai resisted the urge to bang his head into the nearby tree. _He did it. I can't believe he did it! The stupid idiot! _

_Recklessness, thy name is Naruto._

Naruto and his ludicrous desire to save all homeless and pathetic creatures. Couldn't he resist the urge just _once?_

The painter muttered under his breath as he watched Naruto help the boy to his friend's body. At least he had the sense not to use a burial jutsu. Well, all the painter could do now was wait it out and hope Naruto didn't try to adopt the runt.

…Right. As if that would ever _not_ happen…

* * *

Naruto kept his hand on the boy's shoulder as Shinsei walked over to the still graveside.

"Gin…" He whispered hoarsely, very conscious of the warm weight on his shoulder. _A shinobi is a tool. A shinobi must have no emotion._ So why did it hurt so _much_. He vaguely noticed the gentle squeeze and release of the blond's hand as he walked away, giving the child privacy. That was good as Shinsei had been so painfully aware of the teenager's presence before. Gin's face, so calm and peaceful, should have been wreathed in smiles and grins. Not cold and still like death. _Death…_ _To Yomi with the rules._ The boy started speaking uncomfortably. "Gin, you were my first friend… Y-you saw past the weapon. And I thank you for that…" His jaw tightened. "I'll get back at them. I swear I'll get back at the -- that did this to us. Iwa _will_ pay."

Naruto, leaning with his back against a tree just within his Kitsune hearing, learned a lot about the boy just from the small speech. He liked what he saw. The boy was strong, his spirit shaken but not broken. He quietly told the body of his dead friend his thanks for the friendship, and he swore revenge. That it was against Iwa was surprising, but Naruto had always loved shocks. And he was obsessed with the unknown.

Shinsei quietly approached, and Naruto walked over to fill the hole, the covered body fading from sight as earth enveloped it.

He spent a few minutes just sitting by the graveside. Memories played in his head. Finally, the child concluded that distraction would be the best way to go.

Shinsei turned to 'Naoki.' "Thank you. I don't know why you helped me, but I can't stay. I have people on my tail."

The teen nodded seriously. "I know. Why do you think I came out here?"

Shinsei started and stared at him, eyes wide. "How…" He backed away slightly. _How had he known?_ 'Naoki sighed.

"I'm not with Konoha, if that's what your worried about. Or Iwa either. In fact, I'm affiliated with everyone and with no one at all." He grinned. "I and my band are traders – orphans and homeless people originally. We sort of banded together out of sheer need but we're family now." "Naoki" sighed. "We can't exactly turn away someone in need, can we?"

Shinsei snorted. "Right, you expect me to believe all that angelic nonsense? That's impossible, because no one does anything with out an angle. You, me, the monks at the holiest temple in the entire -- world – no one, does anything that they can't gain from."

"That's an awfully bleak way to look at life." The blond frowned. "Do you have family back home?"

_Why does he care? _"No. Gin and I were orphans."

"Naoki" nodded seriously. "All right. You need an angle in order to trust me?" Naoki – or whatever his name was, (Shinsei was still skeptical) – picked up an average-sized stone and weighed it in his hands. "You need back into Iwa, we need an escort to get there. Can't trade with people who turn us away from the gates. I promise, we won't do Iwa any harm. We sign a no violence trade treaty and then every few months we return to trade a few goods. We kill two birds with one," He threw the stone, a bird falling to the floor. "Stone. There's an edge for you, if you want to take it. However, I have another offer, if you want to hear it."

Shinsei snorted. _Of course you do._ He didn't even try to hide the contempt he felt, and was slightly gratified to see the happy-go-lucky look fade a bit from the crystal blue red specked eyes. "Let's hear it."

"Join us."

The Iwa-nin blinked. "_What?_"

"Join us." "Naoki" repeated. "You're what? Eight? Nine years old at the most? You shouldn't be a shinobi – not at your age."

"Hey! I am perfectly capable of—"

"I don't doubt that." The blond growled. "What I doubt is the ability of your mind to cope. At the very least, let us heal your mind for… two weeks. After two weeks you can go and if you never want to see us again, you won't. I promise, and I _never_ go back on my word."

Shinsei watched him. "Naoki"s eyes were sincere… _You can't trust him… but then again, who can you trust?_

"After two weeks… I can leave?"

"Naoki" nodded. "I warn you, most of us will be going to Konoha to start trading, but Tsuki has to stay behind for… complicated reasons. The deal is, you don't ask questions, we don't ask anymore than necessary. Deal?" He reached out a hand.

"…Any more than necessary, huh?" Shinsei commented, pondering the hand. He reached out and grabbed it. "Deal."

* * *

_No! No, no, no! Naruto you utter moron! I guess I'd better warn the others…_ Sai sighed. _Not that they'll be surprised._

He blurred off.

_Neji's going to kill him._

When Naruto led Shinsei to the cave, he was not surprised to meet the wall who was Neji standing in his path. "_Na-ni-ka-toooo." _He growled menacingly, arms crossed over his chest. He had put his contacts in, which was good… _Now, to convince him not to kill me_. "Listen Neji—"

"You'd better thank your lucky stars that you're my commander, or your insides would be splattered across the seventeen walls of this cave. Your head would be mounted on a pike, and your heart would be feeding the wolves." Then, visibly reining himself in, the Hyuuga continued. "H-Tsuki's inside. She's getting a place ready for the kid to sleep, so you'd better hurry up and introduce him."

Naruto cocked an eyebrow. "Hey! Whose the leader here – you or me?"

"The question you _should_ be asking is who is more mature." Neji replied icily. Naruto cocked an eyebrow and turned to Shinsei.

"Is there a bug somewhere over here? I could have _sworn_ I heard something…" He made a show of glancing around while Neji turned a lovely color of puce. Shinsei tried not to laugh while Naruto continued to search every which way, even glancing through his legs. Just as Neji was about to snap, a hand grabbed his forearm.

"Neji-san, perhaps it would be best if you and Naruto would spar… I'll show the boy to his living area."

Shinsei gapped. The woman was beautiful, her long black tresses spilling down her back to her waist. She was shorter than Neji and Naruto, but somehow much more regal. However, her eyes were bandaged heavily. Naruto grinned at the kid. _He's mature for his age, but it's nice to see he can still be so young._ Hinata, dubbed Tsuki because of her personality, calmly pushed the protesting boys towards the training area, her serene face unchanging. After tossing them down the hallway to the sparing area, she turned to the boy beside her.

"I am called Tsuki. You are…" She trailed off.

"Shinsei, Tsuki-sama."

"Shinsei." She repeated, her face turning to him. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Unfortunately, you came at a slightly awkward time, as most of us are going to trade with Konoha, and as you are from Iwa, I assume you won't be welcome there."

"No, not really." He answered, following her. "Why do you live in a cave?"

"Well…" She tilted her head. "Why not?"

* * *

Naruto smirked at Neji as they circled each other. The taller boy had calmed down, his fiery ire turning to deadly ice.

"Eh, I must have really ticked you off, Neji. I haven't seen you this hateful since Kiba and Sai accused me of feeling up Hinata!" Both boys froze.

"How about I forget you brought that up." Neji said coldly. Naruto cringed.

"Right." He said nervously. "Let's do that." Three years and Neji _still_ hadn't forgiven him.

It had been rather innocent, actually. Hinata and Naruto had been sparing (rather viciously due to an unintended slight on Naruto's part), and Naruto ended up pinning her on the ground. Kiba and Sai just _happened_ to be passing by and promptly told Neji that Naruto had been indulging himself in unseemly conduct with Neji's cousin. Neji – always willing to believe that people were out to get Hinata – rapidly made his way to the training grounds, where he saw Naruto being rendered immobile because of several well placed senbon (courtesy of an enraged Hyuuga Heir who resented being called delicate and demure) he immediately drew the wrong conclusion.

And that was how Naruto found himself fending off the enraged Hyuuga Heir Bodyguard.

However, that was three years ago, and Naruto thought it was rather childish of the nineteen year old to keep the grudge so long, so he decided that he would teach the Hyuuga a lesson.

Neji, meanwhile, was just wishing that the utter and complete humiliation of telling your mistress your suspicions, and then being told off by that same mistress would go away.

So, a great and terrible battle erupted between men of wounded pride.

* * *

Shikamaru glanced from Ino to Sakura before sighing at tilting back against the wall. They were at it again. He supposed it couldn't be helped. What was that one saying again? Distance makes the heart grow fonder, and proximity breeds contempt?

Well, he didn't know how it was with other friendships, but that saying certainly applied to the friendship between Haruno Sakura – dubbed Haruko – and Ino – dubbed Ino – was definitely that way. They had been in this cave with each other for two months, and then had participated in a high stress mission to Konoha. Frankly, he was surprised the argument hadn't happened sooner.

As the girls continued to screech at each other, their high-pitched voices quickly escalating in volume, Shikamaru wondered how he had gotten involved with this. Oh yeah, he had gotten drafted into the regulation brigade by Kiba, who had taken one look at the girls, shoved Shikamaru towards them, and _ran_. He had been the smart one, Shika groused, coward though he be.

As the girls rocketed to insults and swear words instead of slurs on appearance, Shikamaru once again reflected that girls were for lack of a better word – troublesome. At least these two girl insulted each other to their faces and defended their rival behind their backs. Most girls would do the opposite, being the little backstabbers they are. Too often had Shikamaru seen someone compliment him to his face, then turn around and criticize him.

If someone was going to insult him, Shikamaru preferred they do it to his face, where he could defend himself and save the friendship, rather than spreading rumors behind his back.

It was because of this reason that Shika found himself so wary of girls.

As Ino hit a sour note, he cringed. Whenever Ino and Sakura let off steam like this, _someone_ had to be stationed to make sure they didn't kill each other, and it was just his rotten luck to be in the area.

As his evening degraded from there, Shikamaru found himself wishing for some time traveling Sound-nin to come and put him out of his misery.

* * *

Shinsei slept for what seemed like days. Tsuki was the kindest person he had ever met, her bandaged face always glowing with a small smile as she weaved beautiful designs. She spoke to him about things he had never given thought to – such as the way a bird's bones were hollow so as to let them fly, or how something ugly, fat and hairy would cocoon itself for a period of time, then burst out of its cage as a beautiful, slender butterfly. She told him about peace, something Shinsei couldn't even remember. Tsuki occupied his mind with tales of dragons and princesses and gallant samurai who launched to their rescue.

She told him about how she had been considered weak in her family, and though she never mentioned what had made them despise her so, Shinsei suspected it had something to do with her eyes, because what kind of weaver kept their eyes covered?

When he told her this, she smiled mysteriously and didn't answer.

When Shinsei wasn't sleeping or listening to Tsuki he was wandering behind "Naoki" until he met the oldest of the traders. The man was tall, had brown hair that was dyed with grey streaks. His face was worn, but handsome and he had a tan line that ran across his nose and over his chin. Katashi-sensei, as Naoki called him (much to the perceived annoyance of Katashi) was the most nonchalant and irreverent man Shinsei had the displeasure to meet, and yet somehow he felt connected to him.

It almost felt as if they had been through similar situations, but that was impossible. Who else had ever been groomed from the age of two into being the perfect weapon? No one that Shinsei was aware of.

Sometimes when Shinsei was talking with the dog-like man who guarded the cave entrance, the dog-man, Kiba, would use a colloquialism that left Shinsei confused. Why would he need to hold his horses? Or how did a watch pot never boil? If you put something over the fire, of course it was going to boil. Whenever he would express this confusion to Kiba, a haunted look seemed to cross his canine eyes. Then, the leather wearing teen would laugh, ruffle Shinsei's hair and distract him with his explanations.

But later, Shinsei always wondered about the look in Kiba's eye.

As two days became three, three became four, and the day that the majority of the traders were going to Konoha arrived, Shinsei felt the questions in his head multiply. Why did Chouji have a rare Thunder Daggar, such as were only found in the land of Thunder? The Thunder Nin didn't give up their weapons easily, especially to someone who didn't know how to handle himself.

What was wrong with Tsuki-sama's eyes? Why was Naoki's chakra so strange? Why did deer naturally gravitate to the lazy guy who Shinsei hadn't even bothered to acquaint. Why were the pink-haired and blond girls on speaking terms when they had been fighting so fiercely before?

But he remembered his deal and stayed quiet.

Most of the day was spent hauling their things into the wagon. Wooden chests with detailed designs were carried by Katashi, who had spent a great deal of time building them, while Shika placed several sets of Shogi and Go into the back corner of the wagon. Ino and Haruko, as Shinsei learned she was called, weren't selling anything, but rather they were the negotiators and money keepers.

After taking a good look at Ino-san's high dollar clothes, Shinsei wasn't sure that was the best idea. Ino was also responsible for selling the various items of clothes that had been bought in different villages. Shinsei was skeptical about those as well, seeing that they were exceedingly impractical and conspicuous.

Naoki was going to run the games and competitions for kids, along with selling prank supplies. The second item was top secret though, as Naoki had no desire to have his head split in two by an irate Haruko. Shinsei could understand the sentiment, being unfortunate enough to walk into the infamous Ino-Haruko Fight.

They were taking Tsuki-sama's weavings with them, and Yamada Taro would be selling his paintings, if that was his real name. What kind of parent named their son Yamada Taro anyway?

Chou was running a food stall, something that Shinsei knew would be a hit, especially if he kept the cheap prices they had discussed. In the five days Shinsei had been here, he had developed a passion for Chou's cooking.

Kiba was apparently a "certified" vet, his family having made a living from caring for pathetic creatures. Rumor had it that his large dog Aka had been a runt with a bad back, or some such thing, but Kiba was a miracle worker, so he managed to heal Aka's spine. Something about senbon and sewing needles when he was ten or something. Shinsei wasn't sure he believed him, considering the looks of complete disbelief and skepticism painted on the face of Naoki, Taro, and Neji.

Eventually, Aka was hooked up onto the wagon, the merchandise was loaded, and the traders were ready to get on their way. Tsuki hugged Neji goodbye, had a group hug with the girls, and was swung around by Kiba. She spoke for a moment with Cho and Shika, smiled at Lee, then moved to bow to Naoki.

Over the past five days, Shinsei had picked up a vibe from the gang while they were with the blond. It had almost seemed like the way one behaved with a commanding officer, or a respected leader. He had dismissed it, because at the same time, he often saw looks of reproach or resignation towards the blond which was something no one _ever_ did in Iwa unless you wanted to lose an ear or two. However, the blatant display of submission by Tsuki-sama, someone who had clearly been in a situation of power before joining this ragged group, shocked him. What more, the rest of the group didn't even seem surprised.

Instead, they began straightening and coming to attention, falling into a position the Iwa Shinobi recognized as an escort guard. Aka was lead by Kiba, while Chou sat inside the cart. Ino and Haruko walked just ahead of the wagon, calling insults and quips to each other over the lines that connected to Aka. Shika walked in the back with Neji, while Naoki took the front with Katashi. Taro walked beside the wagon, while Lee sat on the covered roof of all places. Lee-san's position seemed to annoy Neji immensely…

Which was probably why the youth-loving teen did it, Shinsei admitted. Ever since that first day, Neji seemed to annoy Shinsei to no end with his, _"Nitpicking ways,"_ as Naoki so aptly put it.

As he waved goodbye, feeling ridiculously juvenile, and refusing to run after them or jump up and down, Tsuki put a hand on his shoulder. "Shall we play a game of Shogi? I am certain that our score was fourteen to three. My favor."

The nine year old snorted. "Not for long!"

He never noticed the wagon turning in a direction _away_ from Konoha.

* * *

Shikamaru, despite his reluctance to do anything requiring movement from his post at the cave entrance, had found himself journeying out to hunt, or to set up markers. It wouldn't do for them to approach Konoha from the direction of an impassable ravine, now would it? Nor would it be good to be tracked back to their base. Thus, it fell to the statistical genius to plant pathways to and from everywhere imaginable.

It was one such 'path' that they were walking on now, chakra applied to the wagon wheels to hide its tracks. The way they were headed would take them from the direction of Suna, giving them some protection from being accused of coming from Iwa. Plus the extra distance would make their feigned weariness more realistic.

Over the last two and two thirds months since they had arrived, the ex-Konoha shinobi had become familiar faces in nearby towns and villages, Chou having set up a small food stand once or twice, and Naruto and Kakashi had been employed as constructors for some extra cash. Sai had sold several paintings already, lining their threadbare pockets with yen. Before going on reconnaissance to Konoha, Ino had ordered various clothing and material to sell, along with types of pottery that she knew wouldn't be sold in the Hidden Leaf.

So, they had their bases covered in the civilian villages if any paranoid shinobi ever researched them.

Fourteen leagues away, a blond, blue eyed jounin, slumped over various files to find information on Konoha's upcoming guests, sneezed.

Shikamaru sighed, his hands folded behind his head.

Things would get complicated when they reached Konoha. Despite Naruto's apparent obliviousness, Shikamaru knew he must have figured out ages ago who his real father was. Shikamaru knew that Tsunade had planned to tell him after confronting the Godaime about the matter a few months after Naruto's return.

She had told him that Jiraiya and she were planning to break it to Naruto after he became a chuunin. However, if Naruto _didn't_ know, it would make things slightly more dangerous as the man risked being shocked. So, Shikamaru reluctantly resolved to broach the topic with the blond before they reached the city.

They had four hours before they were within patrol distance however, so Shikamaru resolved to watch the clouds as he walked.

Clouds were so uncomplicated.

Three hours later Shika realized he couldn't put it off any more and moved up to tap Naruto on the shoulder.

"Oi, can we talk about something? I'm not sure if Tsunade told you when you made chuunin but—"

"I know." Naruto interrupted shortly. Shikamaru glanced at him and noticed for the first time his Leader was nervous. Naruto's hands were sweaty and trembling slightly. His breath was coming faster than normal, and his eyes were hooded, flickering slightly. The pupils were more catlike than ever, and beads of sweat decorated his forehead. Even as the Nara watched, Naruto swallowed thickly and cleared his throat. "Even if I hadn't know, I'd have guessed soon enough."

He forced a nervous smile. "I'll be fine, Shikamaru, just as soon as I convince my stomach not to rebel."

The Nara tilted his head skeptically, but eventually nodded in acquiescence. "I'll start working up a cover for you in case they become suspicious." He sighed. "I really wish we had talked about this earlier so we could do something about your appearance. There is no _way_ you're getting into Iwa looking like that."

* * *

_Konoha_

_The Front Gates_

Rouma muttered under his breath, using certain words which his girl friend would have killed him for if he had said them in front of children. He finished gathering the scattered papers and started to stand up, only to bang his head harshly against the desk above him. An explosion of curses filled the air as he clutched his head. "—and I hope you turn into firewood for bandits, you useless piece of drift wood!"

"Wow. What did the poor desk ever do to you?"

The man was so shocked, he jumped up… only to hit his head again.

"You!" he gasped out, holding his head and losing any hint of dignity that remained. He glared at the blond."What are you doing here!"

Kyo glanced over at him lazily. "Are you sure you're a gate guard? They've been in seeing distance for thirty minutes now." He stopped as if thinking. "Oh yeah, you weren't _here_ thirty minutes ago. You were _napping_. Well, I guess as punishment you can show our new allies to their stall grounds eh?"

"Wha- new allies?" Rouma glanced behind the petite girl to see a whole swarm of people. "Oh, grace deliver us. There's more of them."

* * *

Naruto stifled a laugh as the Guard stared at them, face white, mouth open, eyes wide. So this was Rouma – he could definitely see potential. Pranking potential, that is. With a guy that nervous, it would be great fun. Speaking of guys at the gate, the guards had suddenly registered Naruto's appearance. Rouma was the first one to react.

He stared at Naruto as if he had never seen a human being before, his face twisted in confusion. Then, his face paled, two fiery red spots appearing on his cheeks. A flush crept up his neck to his forehead, and the blond half expected a blood vessel to pop out any moment.

Kyo half stood up from his chair, truly alert for the first time since they got within seeing distance, and judging from the reactions of Ino and Sakura, it was a first for them as well. His eyes focused on Naruto's for a second, narrowed, and then relaxed. He nonchalantly leaned back into his chair, put his feet on the desk, deliberately pulled his hiate over his eyes, and began to nap. Rouma glanced from his superior to Naruto and back again, before huffing.

"Well, I guess that's Kyo's way of giving you permission! Might as well come along!" Rouma grumbled under his breath as he led them. Lee had to drop down from the wagon roof to get through the gate, so he swung down to their guide's side.

"Rouma-kun, has Kyo-san been sending you on many errands?"

"Has he? _Has_ _he_?" Rouma exclaimed, waving his hands about. "You know that rubbish he gave about me not being at my shift in time? Complete and utter drivel! I arrive earlier than _he_ does! And then when he finally gets there – two hours late – he orders me around like a genin. Er… that's our lowest rank, by the way. So he orders me around to do all these useless tasks – like getting him dinner, or picking up his laundry. He has a _wife_! Why doesn't she bring him his mail? How that man made Jounin, I will _never_ know."

The troop walked down the street, most of them smiling in amusement as the chuunin ranted about his superior's habits. Kakashi almost seemed _proud _of his fellow jounin's behavior, while Neji seemed torn between being affronted that someone who shared his rank would be so slovenly, or insulted that a chuunin would so criticize his superiors. He shot a reproving look at the grinning Kakashi, now renamed Katashi, and settled for an uneasy frown.

They arrived at an open place which had been noticeably cleared for their use. Kiba and Akamaru moved the wagon in place and Naruto and Kakashi began to unfold all the extra features. Despite the joshing Naruto gained for his carpentry skills, he did well enough with wood, and Kakashi had Sharingan'd someone, someplace, and decided to keep the skill. Thus, the wagon was very impressive, filled with pull-out stalls and covers. One piece lengthwise was hinged to drop down and reveal a target and games area. A portable stall was pulled from the bottom of the wagon and set up close to the built in stove ('volunteered' by a blacksmith who had insulted Sai).

Ino pulled out several iron rods and set up clothes lines where she proudly displayed her colorful and vibrant fabrics. Sakura took responsibility for hanging Hinata's tapestries and weaved decorations in places where they wouldn't be in harms way. Kiba hung up a sign which showed "Animal Baths and Vet Care." Rouma glanced from the sign to Kiba and cocked a skeptical eye. However, when he was told by a firm Naruto that Kiba had come from a family with a long history of animal care, he relented.

Kiba was slightly insulted, as Rouma marked the second person who had doubted his ability. The Inuzuka was actually quite skilled at patching up animal hurts, his sister having taken him under her wing when he was younger. Even as a jounin, Kiba had found the Vet a place he could go to get away from his work. Not only this, but Kiba had been a great help in the office when Hana was bogged down by the war.

Sai and Kakashi pulled out the shaded platform on which Sai began displaying his paintings. A sign hung in the front saying simply, "Paints Portraits." Sai then sat at a table with his paint and ink and was dead to the world.

Rouma tried to talk to him several times, finally giving up when the boy glared up at him, the look on his face dark and foreboding.

Sakura set up her money box in a place where it was 'hidden in foreground.' After they started gaining money, it was a sure bet _some_ mischievous youngster would try his luck to gain some extra cash, and she wasn't going to let their hard work go down the drain. When she was satisfied that it was well hidden under a pile of clothes that Ino was keeping in reserve, she pulled out several white boards that they had actually _paid_ for. Quickly, in precise hand, she jotted down prices for non-negotiable clothing, food, and how much a round in the games was worth. The boxes and paintings were negotiable objects.

Naruto placed an ad for additional work for himself in the corner of one, telling Sakura that though he was the official leader, she was the spokes person and he had to have _something_ to occupy his time other than running the game stall. "After all, I would end up selling the worst prank ideas, and we don't want to get banned _quite_ yet." He laughed sheepishly.

Rouma glanced at him suspiciously. "You're a prankster?"

"Yep!" The blond answered cheerfully. "The most mischievous troublemaker you'll ever find is right before you."

The chuunin snorted. "I doubt that. We have our own notorious menace. Uzumaki Kushina – the nastiest hazard you'll ever meet on two legs." Folding his arms over his chest, Rouma nodded sagely. "Hmum! She is quite a thrill seeker that one. She even dyed the Yellow Flash's hair pink one time, and then threatened all the shop owners not to sell the solvent. Funniest thing we ever saw, him running around screaming at her and her screaming back. He was nearly banned from missions before someone took pity on him and sold him some hair duller."

He chuckled. "Of course, she hadn't prohibited _that_ so she couldn't do anything."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "So she dyed some guy's hair pink. Big deal! Haruko does that every month."

"What!" An outraged cry rang from inside the wagon. Sakura had disappeared some time ago to help unpacking, but she now stuck her head out from under the tarp. "Uzuki Naoki! You take that back right now! My hair's natural, I'll have you know!"

"Suuure it is." Naruto responded, condescending. "And Katashi is secretly an S-class ninja trained from childhood in the shinobi arts."

Rouma, still reeling from Naruto's earlier comment (shocked that he hadn't recognized the term Yellow Flash), glanced over at the brown-haired man. Katashi was leaning against a wagon, giggling perversely as he read a novel. As the gate-guard-turned-errand-boy-turned-guide watched, Lee-san bounded (yes, he was pretty sure it was a bound) over to the man's side, loudly asking what the eye-patch wearing man was reading. He glanced over Katashi's shoulder, blushed crimson and snatched the book away.

Katashi blinked, looking down at his suddenly empty hand.

As Lee began to rant over the un-youthfulness of reading such trash, Katashi gave a, "Hm? Did you say something?" before pulling out another copy.

"OOOOHHHH! You are so hip! Mentor's-rival Katashi! I challenge you to a contest! If I do not win I shall run around Konoha with fifty pounds on my back! No! Make that a hundred!"

There was no way that passive man was anywhere near resembling an S-class ninja, Rouma concluded. He wouldn't even be worth C-rank. Glancing back at Naoki and Haruko, Haruko apparently knew that as well.

The boy was turning a startling color of red.

Decided that fleeing is the best line of valor, Rouma approached the still fuming Lee, who was waving the book around as he ranted. "Eh, Lee-san? If I may interrupt your… ahem… discussion, what are you going to sell?"

For the first time since Rouma had seen him, the green clad ninja was stumped. He glanced at Rouma blankly, before turning to the spiky-haired boy who was setting up several sets of Shogi and Go. "Oi, Shika! What am I selling?"

"You stand around and look funny." Shikamaru answered absently, frowning down at the board before him.

"Okay!" Lee replied, chipper and pleased. He turned back to the non-plused chuunin. "Apparently I am the comedian."

* * *

Kakashi, the younger and much more mature Kakashi, sighed. It was another one of Minato-sensei's team outings. Personally, the young chuunin could see them spending their time in more beneficial ways – such as training. Or doing missions. However, he understood that younger more immature minds (Obito) had to be appeased so as to do something half way decent.

But honestly – shopping? So what if Obito's so-called friends were going to be there. Those newcomers were a nuisance and a security risk, and while it wasn't a tool's place to question the user, he thought it was proof that Sarutobi was finally cracking. Not that he would say this out loud, of course. It was one thing to doubt your commander, it was something completely different to voice complaints. Kakashi wasn't like that gate fool, Rouma, who gossiped and complained about Kyo-san to anyone who would listen. Kyo was a jounin for a _reason,_ even if Kakashi was at a loss to see that reason.

Kakashi glanced at the sun and realized that if he didn't hurry he'd be late. Not that it mattered. The idiot of an Uchiha was always late. He rounded the corner to the Ramen Stand and froze.

Obito.

Wasn't.

Late.

Kakashi drew in a deep breath, then dashed back around the corner and pressed himself against the wall. _What just happened? The sun isn't falling, is it? The sky is still blue, right?_ I _can't possibly be the late one, can I?_ Feeling as if the world had fallen around his ears, the silver-haired child peeked around the corner. He rubbed his eyes. Checked his temperature. Glanced again.

_No_, he concluded, _I am not suffering from delirium. He is really standing there. _On time._ What the…_

Kakashi struggled to gather the fallen pieces of his shattered mask. Where was his dignity? Where was his calm? Where was his time? Two minutes had passed!

He was going to be late if he didn't hurry!

There was no way he was going to be beaten by that loser. No way, no how. Straitening up, the 'stoic' boy walked up to the ramen stand and nodded coolly. Minato grinned at him.

"Guess what, Kakashi! You're two minutes late!"

Hear that sound? _That_ is the sound of a thousand mental screams, all emitating from the small form of an eleven year old chuunin.

* * *

When they arrived at the Caravan Grounds a large crowd had already gathered. Rin took off to look at the clothes selection, the look on her face just _daring_ someone to say something. The boys wisely took a hint and stayed silent. Obito made his way to the food stand, and Kakashi looked at… boxes.

Meanwhile, Minato made it a point to talk to each and every person who made up the Caravan, collecting tidbits and searching for any hint of deception. Unfortunately, he got distracted by cheering on some of the academy students as they threw darts at moving targets.

He was impressed with some of the older initiates, and there was one six-year-old who was certainly going to make genin the next round. Someone called Naoki had decided to let the Academy Initiates play the games, then promptly abandoned the duty to Haruko in order to help someone thatch their roof. She had done an admirable job of balancing the kids along with maintaining the money box, but when a boisterous voice floated down the road preceding her replacement, her relief was obvious.

Minato casually turned around to see Naoki (the only one he hadn't met yet) and started. He stared, something in the back of his mind reminding him that leaving his mouth hanging open was un-jounin-like, but he couldn't have cared less. The boy was a carbon copy of himself! Same stubborn blond hair, same tan, same face shape. _Okay, who cloned me, and why wasn't I informed?_

As the boy came closer Minato became aware of small differences. Naoki's eyes were wider and his mouth softer. His hair was shorter, but then again that was just style. Naoki had a more delicate nose than Minato too. But everything else was exactly the same. _Who is this kid?_

Oblivious to the stare, the boy marched up to Sakura. "Missed me?"

"Like a knife in the back." She retorted. "I watched your stall for an hour already, Naoki. You owe me."

"Yeah, yeah. You know Haruko, if you wanted a love slave you could have just _asked_."

Haruko's eyes flew open. "Why you—Saying those kinds of things in front of kids! I can't believe you! And that is not true! I was going to make it laundry for a day, but I think you'll be stuck with it for a week."

"What?" The blond whined. "Have you _smelled_ Kiba's socks?"

"Obviously. Would I be volunteering you for washing duty if it was _easy_?"

"Aww… you're mean Haruko-chan!" The boy pouted, his arms crossed over his chest.

Sakura laughed, turning away and waving a hand over her shoulder. "Yes, yes, I'm the Wicked Witch of the West. Didn't you know? And stop sulking – it's a bad example for the children."

Minato watched this interaction without moving, his eyes locked onto the back of the younger blond. He hardly noticed when an arm slipped over his shoulder. "Well, well, Minato. Your long lost love child?" Kushina smirked at him.

"More like the long lost cousin I didn't know I had." He muttered absently.

* * *

Shikamaru focused on the board in front of him. His opponent was difficult, but not impossible to beat. He moved his knight, feeling satisfaction as he lured his worthy adversary into a check mate. It had taken an hour to win, longer than anyone else in this place. He told his opponent as much, and was rewarded by a smile from the boy of thirteen.

An admirable opponent.

The other players watched in awe as the newcomer proceeded to play ten simultaneous games at once and win every one. By now, only those who were really confident were challenging him. They were playing right into Shikamaru's hands. And it felt _good._

"Oi! ShikaShikaShika!" Naruto bounded over to the Nara's side. Shikamaru restrained a groan and turned around. Naruto was practically _humming_ with energy, his eyes glowing with excitement. "You _have_ to see this one kid! He's hitting perfect bulls!"

Shikamaru stared at the blond. "Naoki – isn't that _bad?_ Don't we _want_ him to _miss_?"

"I know, I know!" Naruto exclaimed, waving his hands. "But this guy's only four!" Shikamaru stared at Naruto unbelieving. _He interrupted my game for _this? He decided to ignore the enthusiastic blue eyes for now and turned away.

A hand grabbed onto his sleeve. "Really, Shika, you _have_ to see this." That sounded like an order. Shikamaru looked hard at Naruto. His mouth was smiling and running off but his eyes were hard.

Scratch that. It _was_ an order.

Shikamaru voiced complaints loudly, but got up anyway. Naruto surely wouldn't interrupt his record winning streak for something trivial, would he? Naruto led him back to the games at the wagon, chattering about the random jobs he had taken during the day. To anyone else other than a genius with an above 400 IQ, it would have seemed pointless. Shikamaru, however, heard the detailed report hidden in the babble.

"I worked in some section just North of here. Man, there was this old lady who just went on and on. I almost got earplugs to block her out!" meant that several sections of Defensive Civilian Apartments were damaged. Just North was a phrase coined by Naruto years ago to describe the civilians who let their homes be used as sniper locations.

"There's this one old man who asked me to help him with his garden. Normally some people called _genin_ would do it, but for some reason they were a little short-handed. Oh well, lucky me." Translation: Genin were being sent out on missions. They were most likely being sent onto the mid-back line so they weren't in too much danger, but at the same time they couldn't do the tasks they were normally assigned to. The _short_-handed comment showed that occasionally a genin team _did_ do the chores, most likely for some extra cash or vacation time.

As they approached the wagon, Shikamaru's sensitive ears picked up the steady _thud, thud, thud_ of something hitting wood. A "sling _shink"_ sound made him think of kunai so he naturally connected the dots. Whoever Naruto was going to show him must still be going at it. Whatever Shikamaru expected when he came around the corner of the covered wagon, it certainly wasn't what he found.

As he watched amazed, a small boy, barely four, was throwing dart after dart at the moving animal targets. It was going faster than normal, so he assumed Kiba or Naruto (who were the only ones who knew how to run it, having played the games day in and day out) had sped it up.

It was moving fast. Very fast. Shikamaru probably wouldn't have been able to hit those targets by his last year at the Ninja Academy. The boy, however, threw the darts with ease, not flinching or hesitating. His face was stoic and flat, not a hint of emotion showing as he hit all vital areas. When Naruto stopped the turning animals, it was seen that every dart had hit its target. Shika turned to closely examine the boy.

Dark hair framed his small face. His skin was pale – almost pasty. Dark eyes watched the world dimly as if through broken mirrors. Deadened look to his father's distant yet obvious pride, a slight softening when the woman who was probably his mother touched his shoulder. Rimmed eyes flickered around cautiously, settling briefly on Shikamaru and Naruto before flittering away. Shikamaru dimly became aware that his gut was tight. _Why am I bleeding? Ah, I bit my tongue._ He clenched his jaw. _Out of all the people here, why did we have to run into him?_

The boy turned away to follow his parents revealing the prominently displayed Uchiha Fan. But Shikamaru didn't need that to identify him. He'd recognize him anywhere at any age.

As the genius watched, Uchiha Itachi received his prize and was led away.

* * *

Minato was getting disturbed. Kushina was getting a headache from listening to him. "Why don't you just ask him?"

"Oh sure." Minato sat up, his voice lifting an octave. "Excuse me, my name is Namikaze Minato, do you happen to be related to me? I mean, I don't have any aunts or uncles, and I don't have any siblings, but we look disturbingly alike so… the Yellow Flash? Why yes, I am. Oh, so you are related to me!" He glared at her, his voice dropping. "Yeah, right."

She sighed. "Well then, sitting here moping about it isn't going to do anything. Where's your infamous stubbornness and determination anyway?" She called for another glass of water. "You could just _ask_."

The Yellow Flash opened his mouth to respond, only to freeze. "Didn't you just ask that?"

"Maybe." She looked away shiftily, smiling faintly. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and seeing his sober face, sighed and turned back. "Listen, Minato, why is this so important to you?" Kushina leaned over to meet his eyes. "I've never seen you this… upset before. Especially over some random outsider!"

Minato's eyes were lowered as he focused his gaze on the glass in front of him. He twisted in his hand, his gaze distant. Kushina's eyes softened and she reached out a hand. The ex-Whirpool Ninja's grip was rough from a lifetime of holding kunai and shuriken. Her fingers were scarred from years of pulling wire taunt and blocking knives with naked hands. They were what civilians would call ugly, her fingers slightly bent from broken fingers that had to be healed quickly, but as Minato studied them he reflected that here, where such hands meant surviving in harsh circumstances against all odds, they were the most beautiful things he had ever seen.

The Namikaze sighed. "Do you know why my family is so revered by the council?" He asked, looking up to meet her eyes.

She cocked her head, bemused. "You all kick a--" He cleared his throat, glancing pointedly at the children behind her. She rolled her eyes, "_Beat_ your opponents all over the field?"

He chuckled a little. "Well, that has something to do with it. But its also for another reason. For all that I know, I am the last of the Namikaze Clan. That, naturally, causes them a certain amount of concern." He took a deep breath. "The Namikaze family has always had… _connections_, I guess you could say. You know how sometimes you complain that everywhere we go someone knows me?"

She cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah? What of it?"

"Well, unlike you, who has created a reputation for the way you wreak havoc wherever you go, and saving lives and turning them around by meeting people for an hour –"

"Am I supposed to be insulted, or flattered?" Kushina asked dryly.

"_I_, on the other hand," He continued as if there had been no interruption, "am recognized because of my family. My family has always had political connections. We are on name basis with nearly every Daimyo in the shinobi continent, and we have favors from every major clan." He sighed. "Naturally, that doesn't prevent them from attacking us or killing us, as is evident from the stupid war we're in right now, but it has been good for other things. No member of _any_ of those clans will ever kill a Namikaze outside of self defense. That has always been good for Konoha, as certain people are more willing to deal with the Leaf because of us."

Kushina nodded, leaning forwards. "Your extreme wealth doesn't hurt much either." She pulled off her orange jacket and laid it on the table. It seemed they were going to be here for a while.

Minato breathed out through his nose, glancing to the side. "No, it doesn't." He watched the pedestrians for a bit, his eyes lighting on a small boy who was dashing from market stall to market stall. The Trader's wagon was just around the corner. He drew his attention back to the kunoichi before him. Kushina was trying to stay still and failing miserably. Her finger was tapping the table before she shifted uncomfortably. Pursing her mouth she straitened her bright red and black shirt with one hand, while the other twirled a pair of chopsitcks. Her eyes wandered over the restaurant.

"However, as you know my Clan has been fading for a while now. The sudden barrenness of my mother, my father's failing health… several years ago one of the clans who _don't_ like us attacked a group of my relatives – you know, aunts, uncles, cousins. Not a single one survived."

Kushina stared at him in shock. "I-I didn't know."

Minato smiled sadly, waving aside her apology. "Eh, the massacre happened before you got here. People don't really like to talk about it." He smiled bitterly. "One of the people who was killed was my mentor and sensei – Namikaze Akio. He and his family were going to the capital for vacation when the attack happened. While everyone else was killed, including Akio, they never found his son's body. Akira would be around fifteen by now."

Kushina stared at him in shock. "Y-you thin-" Her voice broke and she cleared her throat. "You think its possible the Caravan leader is your long lost cousin?"

Minato groaned. "I don't know. Maybe. I mean, what are the chances? One in a hundred? Heh, probably even smaller than that! And Akira was only four when the attack happened. He wouldn't even remember his _parents_, much less me!" Kushina leaned back and put her feet up on the table. She folded her arms over her chest and cocked an eyebrow.

"This doesn't sound like the Namikaze we all know and annoy." She scowled. "What happened? Lose your nerve all of the sudden?"

"Yes!" Minato burst out. "Yes, I have. I mean, Kushina, just think of if you had a chance to make up with your parents, or to take care of your little brother. If you had the chance to say goodbye or 'I love you' one more time!" He stared at her desperately. "How would you feel?"

Uzumaki stared at calmly him, her eyes hooded. In one swift movement she stood up from her chair and moved around the table to sit beside him. Her rough, scarred hands grabbed his. "I wouldn't waste it." She whispered quietly. "I wouldn't let myself wonder for all eternity."

With that she got up silently, scooped up her orange jacket with the whirlpool insignia of the Uzumaki Clan and walked away, leaving the silent man behind. She reached the door and paused, her hand just above the handle. "Just so you know, if you ever need me…" She looked over at him. "My door's always open."

Quirking a sad smile, she walked out pulling her fire engine red and orange jacket around her shoulders.

* * *

TBC…

And the plot thickens….

Thank you so much to all my readers! And special thanks to all my reviewers! Beta work was done by PheonixClaw, and you can all see he did a really good job!

Well, you guys know the drill!

Read and Review!


	7. Conflict and Deplomacy

Hey All! Well, it's a few days late, but that's okay, right? Thank you everyone for your encouragement! You guys are great! Chapter Eight may take a little longer in comming because I had to translate all week. Thanks for understanding!

* * *

_**Chapter Seven**_

* * *

_Konoha_

_The Caravan Wagon_

That night, as the group camped out in and around the wagon (much to the ire of Ino who wanted a nice hotel), they calmly contemplated this new occurrence.

"_Itachi, here!" _Ino screeched. "_I thought he wasn't supposed to even be _born_ yet!"_

Shikamaru winced, a hand jumping to his ear. "Ino, please! We're right here!" He scowled. "Inside voices!"

"Oh… sorry."

Kiba scowled. "I don't get what we're standing around here for! We can just get him now and that'll solve a slew of problems. No Uchiha slaughter, no emo-Sasuke (ouch Sakura! Hey, he _was _emo!), no super-powerful Akatsuki. Why not deal with it now?"

Neji nodded firmly. "I agree with the mutt."

Everyone stared.

"Oh shut u…W-w-whaaat?" Kiba exclaimed jumping up. He dramatically pointed at Neji. "_You_ are agreeing with _me?_"

Neji glared at him. "Sit down, idiot. Even _you_ have _some_ common sense; It is logical to destroy such a terrible enemy when he is still young." He looked towards Naruto. "If you wish, Hokage-sama, I can do it tonight."

Shikamaru snorted. "What? And have all of Konoha around our necks by nightfall?"

"And what would you suggest?" Ino shot back. "We wait until he's made contact with Madara and betrays us?" She glared at her teammate. "You just want me to sit back while that murderer takes away my best friend's innocence? Sorry, but no way!"

"Will all of you just listen to yourselves?" Sakura broke in. "You're talking about killing a child! A child who's only four!"

"Yes, a child!" Neji interrupted. "A child who can already kill a grown man easily!"

"But guys – he hasn't done anything yet." Chouji protested softly. "He's still innocent!"

Kiba snorted. "Yeah, innocent. For how long? Look, I don't condone killing kids. I left ANBU because of the child assassination jobs. But we can all agree Itachi is _not_ a normal kid!"

Sakura leaned forward, her hands pressed into the ground before her knees. "And who's fault is that! He didn't _ask_ for his parents to turn him into a killing machine. He didn't _ask_ to be born an Uchiha!"

"I wasn't asked if I wanted to be a Hyuuga! But I was!" Neji scowled. "The boy _is dangerous._ He can ruin all we're trying to do here! Sakura, surely you must see that Itachi must—"

"He hasn't done anything yet!" Chouji cried, standing up. Lee nodded fiercely.

"I must agree with Chouji-kun in this, Neji. The child cannot be judged for the crimes of his former life. It would be un-youthful for us to take our revenge out on him, especially when we are trying to redeem so many others."

Ino snorted. "You are an idiot. All three of you!" She glared at Sakura ferociously, the pink-haired girl glaring back just as severely. "Once a criminal, always a criminal! I mean, come on, we wouldn't be having this discussion if it was about Orochimaru!"

"No, but Orochimaru was already a traitor in this time." Kakashi pointed out from the corner where he was reading. Up till that moment it had seemed he wasn't paying attention. "Itachi isn't."

Shikamaru sighed. "This conversation is useless and pointless. There is no way we can kill Itachi without causing a ruckus. We'd be primary suspects and we wouldn't be able to withstand the interrogation. Not without blowing our cover."

"I could do it!" Kiba broke in. "Any one of us could, Shika. For Pete's sake, the kid's four! What's he gonna do against an ANBU?"

Sakura started. "Exactly, he's four." She jabbed her finger furiously on the wooden crate they were using as a table. "What's he done that demands his death!"

"He brought about the destruction of Konoha!" Neji whispered tersely, leaning in to glare at her.

"No, he didn't! His future/past self did." Chouji frowned at the Hyuuga Ex-Branch Member. "We aren't heartless killers, Neji-kun. I cannot on good conscience allow this assassination; I will oppose you if I have to! He should be allowed a chance to redeem himself."

"What?" Kiba exclaimed, increadulous. "He's a killer! He has the blood of innocents on his head!"

Kakashi sighed. "Who among us doesn't, Kiba? I have killed many people in my time, many who didn't even need to die. Yet I got a second chance. How is this younger, more innocent Itachi different?"

"Because you didn't turn against your village! Your family! Your teammates!" Kiba roared. The dog boy was on his feet again, his hands waiving about wildly.

"Neither has the younger Itachi." Sakura said quietly. She was bent over, reinforcing the sound-barring seals. Her eyes stayed fixed on her the glowing lines as she continued. "Technically, I betrayed the village. Should I not be considered a traitor? Sasuke betrayed Squad Seven. Shouldn't he be considered irredeemable?"

Ino sighed. "Sakura, that's different."

"Why!" Sakura exclaimed, turning so her tears were clearly visible in the lamplight. "How is it different?"

A tumult of voices rose to answer her question.

"Because—" Shikamaru started.

"He did it willingly!" Neji cut in.

"He killed his family!" Ino leaped to her feet. "He killed innocents!"

"He didn't repent." Sai said quietly. The ex-Root fingered a scroll, his eyes dark.

"He was a traitor!" Kiba yelled.

Naruto, who until this moment had been sitting quietly listening and watching, scowled. "Will you all just _shut up_!"

Everything fell silent as the Konoha Survivors turned to the glaring figure in the corner.

"You are all running around like bunch of fools." He hissed, red eyes glowing in the firelight. The leaping flames lit his hair in a golden hue. "You want to know what we're going to do right now? We are _not_ going to endanger our mission by killing the Uchiha heir. We are _not_ going to panic. We will _not_ murder an innocent child." He shot a pointed glance at Neji and Ino. "And we will _not_ allow Itachi to turn." He cast a reasuring glance to Chouji and Sakura. He stood up. "We are not mice but men. Isn't that how the quote goes? We're done with all that killing and murdering nonsense. We are here to reform people so that they can live better – not end their lives because we're scared of them."

"But Hokage-sama—" Neji protested.

"The topic is closed." Naruto cut him off. "I am your Hokage. And you _will_ listen to me."

* * *

The next day, the tension between the members of the Caravan was so thick you wouldn't have been able to cut it with a razor edged knife. Neji and Kiba were glaring at Sakura and Chouji. Chouji was giving Shikamaru and Ino the cold shoulder. Ino and Sakura were 'not on speaking terms', which translated to 'yelling-at-each-other-at-every-opportunity' terms. Sai seemed to be deriving ferocious pleasure in ticking everyone off. All of them were avoiding Kakashi, and several took care to be 'extra respectful' to Naruto. Note the heavy sarcasm please.

Fortunately, it wasn't bad for business. They soon became one of the subjects of the village gossip society which caused business to boom, much to Sakura's satisfaction.

It was on their third day that Naruto was called to the Hokage office. When the blond finally got the message out of the stuttering genin and told the kid he'd be there, he turned aside to Kiba. "Were we ever that young?"

Kiba snorted in amusement before remembering he was still mad at the blond and turned away in a huff. If Naruto didn't want Kiba to get along with him again he would have likened him to a cat in the middle of a hissy fit.

Naruto grabbed Shikamaru from his game of Go (much to the genius' annoyance) and dragged to him the Hokage Tower. Sakura had glared at him when he came close, so he had decided to leave her behind. With her mood, the _last_ thing he wanted her to do was deal with politicians. _She'd probably get us kicked out._

Shikamaru followed Naruto, muttering and grumbling under his breath. His last opponent hadn't been the best he'd faced, but he was good enough to force Shikamaru to concentrate. The game had also been keeping his mind off of the 'Argument' as the Nara had mentally named it.

Now, with no distractions his mind was racing over the problem. Scenarios for killing Itachi, scenarios for having someone else kill Itachi, ways of getting rid of Itachi… He sighed.

_There is no getting around it. Itachi is a pivotal person in our time. If he manages to massacre the Uchiha, we will loose Sasuke which means Naruto and Sakura will be depressed. Itachi must be done away with. However…_ The Nara frowned. _Itachi is also the Uchiha heir. His murder would not go unnoticed. _He sighed._Here I thought my morals were already gone, and now I find I still can't stomach killing children. "_Mendokuse."

"It's not going to happen." Naruto spoke up quietly.

Shikamaru jerked his head up. "Huh? What?"

Naruto stopped, his hands in his jeans pockets and his shoulders bowed. He stared intently at the ground before him. "Killing, murdering, torturing… We're not shinobi anymore. I… I don't want you guys to have to feel that guilt any longer. You aren't weapons; you aren't tools in my hands. I don't want you to have to have your souls stained with blood ever again. I know that it'll be hard to adjust. And I know that we all have an unhealthy amount of blood lust in us, but…" He glanced up at the shocked boy behind him. "You'll become clean."

"Killing children…" Naruto looked away. "We fell so far as to accept that as a part of life, didn't we?" He chuckled sadly. "Not anymore. Not under my watch."

Shikamaru grunted, lighting a cigarette. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, Na-Naoki, but we are weapons. You can't change that."

"Maybe, maybe not. But I can try." Naruto's head rose and he grinned at the skeptical ex-tokubetsu jounin, clasping him on the shoulder. "And we'll start by resisting the urge to kill everyone who gets in our way."

* * *

Naruto cheerfully greeted the chuunin secretaries, sending them a jovial. "Ohayo! How's it hanging?" and flashing a brilliant grin. Shikamaru just nodded to them. One of the secretaries led them to the Hokage office. While he confirmed that the Hokage was free, Shikamaru and Naruto took the time to analyze the new decorations. "Sure hasn't changed much." Naruto muttered. Shika glared at him.

"Don't talk about it." He hissed.

"What?" Naruto grinned innocently. "No one's in hearing distance."

Shikamaru growled. _Someday someone is going to deceive those ears of yours, Naruto, and I'm going to be there to laugh at you!_

The Chuunin stuck his head out. "Hokage-sama will see you now."

"Thanks, man!" Naruto patted the shinobi on the shoulder, ignoring the tension running through the guy and pushed his way into the office. Shikamaru muttered an apology and followed him.

The Sandaime looked up when they came in, his dark eyes examining them. Both boys met his gaze calmly.

Satisfied, Sarutobi stood up. "Well, its nice to finally meet you. I assume one of you is the…Teatari Shidai?" Shikamau hid his laugh behind a snort.

Naruto blinked. "Teata—she didn't." He groaned and rolled his eyes. "Haruko, you are _so_ going to get it when I get back." With a sigh he stepped forward. "That would be me, and ignore the nickname please? It's a remnant of a troubled past."

Shikamaru coughed, amused. "That's one way to put it."

"Shut up."

Sarutobi looked amused. "I'm sure there's a fascinating story behind this, but I'm afraid the council wants us to get down to business."

"Council?" Naruto repeated. The Sandaime looked around him, so Naruto turned about to face the sober-faced cluster that stood along the wall. "Oh, _that_ council."

Shikamaru resisted the urge to smack his revered Rokudaime Hokage over the head. _Unrivaled senses indeed._

* * *

Lee pounded the nail into the roof studiously. His powerful whacks had sunk the nail into the wood a long time ago, but the tai-jutsu specialist didn't seem to notice. It had been two days since the 'discussion over un-youthful conduct which Neji should be ashamed of supporting' and Lee was _still_ angry. _How could he condone k-k- That! _

Lee scowled fiercely at the innocent nails beside him before picking up another one. Dai-san's roof was nearly thatched, so he would have to find other work soon. If he didn't keep his hands occupied, he just might challenge that stuck-up troll in human clothes called Neji to a sparing match. He twitched. Maybe he'd challenge him anyway.

Such a blatant disregard of youth! Why he outta—

"Lee-san? Is that you?"

Lee looked up to see Rin standing below him.

Rin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and shaded her eyes to squint up at him. "It _is_ you! What are you doing up there?"

Lee grinned at her. "Fixing the roof." He shut the lid on the nails, picked up the hammer, and sprang down to the girl below. He landed with a quiet 'thump' and stood up from his crouch. Rin didn't look shocked or dazed, so he assumed she expected everyone to be able to spring off of roofs. It was a common mistake for genin to make. "I am, unfortunately, not skilled in any form of craftsmanship. So I have been rerouted to manual labor!"

Rin smiled. "Aw, I'm sure you do well at whatever you choose."

"It is very kind of you to say so." Lee answered good-naturedly. He stooped to pick up the metal box. "I take it that you're on break from your team?"

At this, Rin rolled her eyes. "You could say that. Obito and Kakashi are being egotistical again, so I decided to slip away."

Lee blinked. "Er… Egotistical?"

"Yes!" Rin huffed. "First, Obito was trying to complete a new jutsu – jutsu are our techniques – and then Kakashi was like, why don't you just quit, you'll never be anything good. So then Obito got mad and jumped on Kakashi, and Kakashi beat him up because, obviously, Kakashi is better, so then Obito got offended and began yelling at Kakashi, and then Kakashi called Obito a…" Here Rin trailed off and blushed. Lee laughed and held up a hand.

"That's fine, Rin-san. I understand. So you decided to escape for a while." They began walking.

"Yes. Minato-sensei wasn't there to stop them, and they think a girl is too _weak_ to interfere." Rin muttered this bitterly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Just because I specialize in medicine they think I can't fight. I mean, sure, I'm not going to win any Miss Konoha competitions, but I can hold my own!"

Lee nodded politely as the girl continued to rant. He wasn't aware of where they were walking until they saw the afore-mentioned teammates engaged in a rather bloody brawl. Lee stared in shock, having never seen such blatant animosity between teammates (especially with Kakashi), while Rin groaned in resignation. Kakashi finally threw Obito onto his back and planted a foot on his chest.

"Just like you, deadlast." Kakashi snorted. "People like you are just deadweights. No matter how hard you work, or how much you desire it, you will always be a sad excuse for a shinobi, not worthy to follow a genin's command."

"Shut up!" Obito yelled, his voice hitching. "At least I have feelings and emotions, something that you wouldn't understand! I have _friends!_"

Kakashi laughed derisively. "Just more proof you aren't fit for the headband you wear with such obvious pride. You break our rules with such blatant disregard. What do I bet you'll get killed on our first B-rank mission. _Dobe_. I bet you believe in friends. I bet you would even abandon a _mission_ for your friends. Don't expect anyone to do the same for you. Someone who abandons their mission. is. trash."

Obito surged upwards, only to have Kakashi slam a palm into his face and hold him down. Kakashi looked him over impassively, then sneered a, "Pathetic." He turned away. Obito bit his lip until he winced, the blood from his already split lip trailing down his chin. His eyes were filled with hurt and Lee could see him trying not to cry. It was… nostalgic. Lee remembered more than once being in that position – To be staring up at someone called genius who tore down your dreams coldly and irreverently. The pain of striving for the respect of someone you admired and having your attempts at friendship brushed off like flies on a slice of choice meat still lingered with him. To know that the one you wanted to call friend was hurting inside, burying it all beneath a cold shell of ice. _Neji… How did we fall so far?_

As he watched the boys, time seemed to stand still as he remembered Gai and _his _Kakashi.

Gai had always been respectful to Kakashi. Gai hadn't told Lee much about Kakashi's past, but Lee had understood that Gai had been an anchor for the elite jounin. Kakashi's loyalty to his comrades had been infamous, and Gai had often spoken of a boy who had made Kakashi this way. Gai had loved Kakashi as one would a fragile brother. He had seen him as his best friend, and had been given great joy over being Kakashi's rival. Never had Lee heard either of them disregard the other.

Kakashi would rebuff Gai, but there was always a hint of playfulness behind their actions. In the Sound War they had never been too far from each other, always running to each other's aid. Kakashi, after Gai's brutal death, had spoken at the funeral. It had been the first funeral Kakashi had shown up for in twenty-five years, and the first he had ever spoken at. Lee remembered the exact words Kakashi had said while standing over the fresh grave:

"_Here lies a good man. Odd… but good. He was a rival, and he was a friend. Loyal, full of you-… vigor. I hope everyone can find a rival like him. And I hope everyone can respect their rivals as brothers, such as I came to respect him. He is another companion lost to the road of life. Remember him well, so we can meet him with pride when our own time comes." Kakashi smiled behind his mask. "Of course, if anyone repeats this speech to him, I will hunt you down from the gates of Hell and send you back again in such a way you'll wish you'd never been born."_

And now Lee was seeing this same future man crumple into a degrading adolescent who disregarded his current rival. It was something Lee could not, _would not,_ allow.

Secrecy be – —.

Lee surged forward, more filled with righteous anger than he had been in a long time. Who cared about Itachi? He and Neji would hash that out later like the rivals they were. This was _Gai's_ future he was protecting.

He grabbed Kakashi by his collar and flung him away from Obito. Kakashi flew through the air and smashed into a nearby tree, the bark splintering under his weight. As he slumped to the ground, Lee crouched down to assist the shocked Obito. "Ignore him, Obito-san." Lee said, grinning cheerfully. "In my experience, the dead-lasts are the ones who make the biggest differences in life. What they don't learn in the classroom, reality teaches them in due time."

Obito stared at him in bewilderment as Lee helped him to his feet. Rin stood as still as a statue, her hand covering her mouth. Both kids couldn't comprehend what had just happened. For as long as they had been Genin, Kakashi had been the unbeatable. It wasn't uncommon for him to be challenged by chuunin older than them, but he always managed to win or make his loss come dearly. Kakashi was always praised by their sensei and their superiors. Obito's uncle – the head of the Uchiha clan – was often heard comparing the Uchiha's own shinobi to Kakashi. Obito had graduated into a world where he was measured up beside Kakashi and found wanting.

Kakashi was a genius.

Kakashi was a prodigy

Kakashi was slumped at the base of a tree.

It was wrong, it was creepy, it was _hilarious._

And Obito didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

The silver-haired boy groaned as he pushed himself onto his knees. "W-what the -0-0- was that!"

Lee glared at him. "I cannot stand back and watch such un-youthful conduct occur before my eyes. Hatake Kakashi – I, Tai Lee – challenge you to a match. If you win, you may decide my punishment and I will acknowledge you are right. However, if I win, you apologize to Obito and submit to a punishment he deems fitting."

Kakashi glared. "Idiot. What do you think you can do to me? You're just a civilian! What's more, you can get kicked out of Konoha for this!"

"I know that." Lee said calmly, nodding his head. "However, my father would be ashamed of me if I stood back and let such despicable behavior transpire before my eyes."

Kakashi snorted. "_Father_." He echoed bitterly. "Father, mother, brother… what do those _things_ matter!" Black eyes flashed as he glared at Lee. "Connections are worthless! They only hurt you! They are _trash_!"

Lee's face became taut. "If you truly believe so, then prove me wrong. I will fight for Obito and his friendship that you so foolishly try to throw away. Come, Kakashi-san!"

And before Rin and Obito's horrified eyes, Kakashi attacked.

* * *

Naruto's eyes flickered towards Shikamaru. The genius met his eyes, then deliberately looked out the west window, confirming his sinking feeling. Naruto resisted the urge to snarl, and fiercely reigned in the red chakra that wanted to burst out of him. _Leeeeeee, I hope Neji kills you!_

He didn't have time for this! He was standing in front of the Konoha's Greatest -0-0- United, also known as the Konoha Council of Old Fogies. They were old-fashioned, prejudiced manipulators who couldn't see past the ends of their noses but insisted on inserting their arthritis-ridden fingers into his business time and time again. In short – they were meddlers and he hated them. And based off of the glares they were sending to him, they didn't like him much this time around either.

Shikamaru sighed. "Troublesome." He glared pointedly at Naruto, who rolled his eyes.

"What sup, Ojii-sama?" He asked flippantly, folding his arms behind his head. He heard one of the council members – Old Hag No. 1, also known as Utitane Koharu – gasp.

"How dare you!" She hissed. "Show respect to our Hokage, you insipid little cretin! He is the strongest shinobi in our village and has made our town the strongest of all of the Five Villages! He deserves all the reverence your puny little life can give him!"

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto waved her off. "I know who _he _is." He saucily cocked an eyebrow. "And _you_ are…?"

The woman flushed darkly while Shikamaru resisted the urge to groan. _Naruto's already baiting the Council of Elders?_ Should he make excuses or just run away now?

_Decisions, decisions._

_Oh yes, this is going __**beautifully**__._

Shikamaru put a hand on Naruto's shoulder, causing the blond to glance at him curiously. Shikamaru respectfully bowed his head, and Naruto's eyes softened. The subtle movement reminded Naruto that not only _his_ neck was on the line, but the necks of all their companions. Naruto nodded that he understood, and turned back to the Elders.

That didn't mean he couldn't have a bit of fun, though.

* * *

The boys stood across from each other. Both faces were blank, Lee's frighteningly so. Kakashi finally gave a grunt of resignation to making the first move and attacked. He flashed from side to side in the diamond formation, his movements so fast his teammates were unable to follow it. It appeared as though he were going to take a step, except he disappeared with his foot half way down. He would appear in his new location and lower his foot. It was an incomplete form of the Shunshin, but it was effective.

One moment he was thirty feet away from Lee on the right, the next he was twenty feet away on the left. When he was within ten feet Lee sprang forwards. His foot slashed out towards the boy's head with his heel turned outwards.

Kakashi flung himself back roughly. He landed in a crouch and used his momentum to spring into the same tree he had crashed into before. Lee stood where he landed, waiting. The ex-shinobi closed his eyes and listened.

The brush of wind through leaves was like the sound of a thousand hands clapping in applause. The shifting of grass under Obito was a gentle squeak, while the quick breaths of Rin betrayed her worry.

_There_.

The scent of lightning and dogs. The smell of fresh dirt. The sound of soft scraping.

_Below._

Lee leaped into the air as Kakashi burst from the ground. The former Leaf-nin planted his palms on the ground and alternated his hands to spin around. He used his thrust to kick Kakashi firmly in the chin twice. As the boy flew backwards, Lee disappeared and reappeared below him. Kakashi found himself launched into the air – again.

Obito couldn't believe his eyes. "He's wiping the floor with him!"

"And he's not even trying." Rin added, her experienced eyes taking in all signs of exertion.

Obito blinked and looked closer. Not only had Lee not even broken into a sweat, his face wasn't reddening. His muscles showed no sign of weariness, though he had kicked from the air three times now. His eyes were still loose and calm.

"Of course, he hasn't really given Kaka-chan a chance to get his feet either!" Obito exclaimed, his admiration for the tai-jutsu 'civilian' increased. Tai Lee wasn't giving the silver-haired chuunin any chance to fight back. Instead, he worked on systematically desecrating the arrogant boy. All at once the green-clad teen froze in mid-high kick and drew back.

He stood in 2nd Position, his feet spread apart, his left leg and arm bent in front of him. His hand was placed with the palm upwards. He smiled apologetically.

"Gomenasai – Kakashi-kun. I should have allowed you to counter attack. After all, this hardly proves anything if you are just being kicked around."

Kakashi wiped a hand across his mouth the blood off where blood had trickled through his mask and growled. "Shut up." He shakily stood up and glared. A tembling hand reached upwards to secure the blue fabric that covered his face from nose downwards. Already the cover was ripped in several places as Lee had been aiming at his jaw and ear bone. They had been deliberate strikes to show Kakashi how easily Lee could have ended his life at any moment.

The silver-haired chuunin burned with wounded pride, which, if Minato had been there, he would have said was already an improvement. Kakashi had thought himself beyond pride. He glowered at the waiting Caravan member before making his seals. Genjutsu wasn't his strongest area, but for this weakling it would do.

"Akumo no Jutsu: Technique of Nightmares."

Rin and Obito gasped, while Lee stood coolly. Gen-jutsu, eh? Well, it was his weak point, but he would find a way to make do. He concentrated on his surroundings as they faded into black, remembering every detail. The gen-jutsu took effect and he found himself in the middle of the Sound Konoha war again. Gai, face full of fire and vigor, screamed in exhilaration and pain as he opened the final Celestial Gate that finally killed him. The jutsu started too late for Lee to do anything but watch, shocked. Once again he was too late.

All at once he became aware of Ten Ten, her green ribbons and silver ribbon pendants flying around her as she fell to the ground, Orochimaru's sword through her torso, her brown eyes staring in horror at the black-haired Jounin. Her full, bloody lips mouthed a single question: Why didn't you save me?

Lee couldn't make himself move as her brown eyes, eyes that had been so often filled with laughter even in the worst of the slaughters, dimmed. They fogged over, and she was gone.

Neji – a younger, colder, _deader_ Neji – watched him blankly, not sparing a glance to the two corpses behind him. It was the Branch Member Neji, who Lee had fought against for so long only to be defeated again and again. This Neji didn't watch him with bemused glances, or stare at Tenten for hours, or tease Lee and Gai for their flames of youth. _This_ Neji didn't watch over Hinata with single-minded diligence, glaring at any presumptious person who thought himself worthy to grace her presence. _This_ Neji didn't care if the whole of Konoha lived or died.

_This_ Neji would have thought the fall of Konoha was fate and never given a moments thought to the possibility of saving her.

Around the two boys Konoha burned to ashes. Lee felt his chest tighten.

It hurt.

He knew it wasn't real but it still hurt.

Akumo no Jutsu took your greatest fears and worst memories and combined them. Then, it made your mind feel everything as if it was actually happening. It was rather easy to disrupt with a chakra surge, but Lee, being Lee, had no chakra to disrupt it with. The longer he stayed trapped, the more memories it brought up. Lee didn't want to remember the horrors of the war ever again, and certainly not in the detail the gen-jutsu would make him see.

He did have one trick Kurenai had taught him a long time ago. Lee closed his eyes and turned all his attention inwards. He focused on the memory of the clearing. With his eyes still closed, he began bending his joints. First his toes, then his ankles, then his knees. He twisted his waist, curved his back and rolled both shoulders. He moved his jaw. Then he repeated the process with his hands.

He burst into a flurry of movement. He shut off his ears, his nose, his eyes. He refused to acknowledge the touch of the ground or the taste of the air. There was nothing but him and the darkness of his mind. He moved faster and faster in circles, pushing his body to the limit. His muslces screamed in protest. His bones felt like they would snap from the pressure. His lungs struggled for air.

With a sudden '_crik'_ the illusion shattered and he found himself staring into Kakashi's shocked eyes. Lee grinned.

"A fine example of ninja art! Not the most sportsmanlike, naturally, but effective." He changed his stance. "Now, prepare yourself!"

* * *

"We called you here to sign the official contract that legalizes your… stay… here in Konoha." Ugly Hag No. 1 (Utitane Koharu) sniffed and pulled out a thick sheet of official looking paper. "If you would just sign here please?" She glanced over at the two boys, contempt in her eyes. "After this, the Hokage has something to speak to you about and you'll soon be on your way."

Naruto coughed. "Right. And _what_ exactly happened to the contract Haruko and Ino signed again?"

Old Bag No. 1 – this guy was male – sniffed. "Obviously, it is not acceptable for a subordinate to sign a treaty. It was enough to get your access here once, but we'll need a stronger contract if you want to keep coming back,."

"Shut it, Baa-baa." Naruto retorted. The _male_ councilor rose up in indignation while Naruto froze suddenly, Shikamaru's glare hot on his neck. "Wait, you in no way deserve that title. Let's see… Ero-jiji."

Mitokado Himura froze in indignation. "What!"

Naruto cocked an eyebrow. "What? That still not good enough? Okay let's try—"

"Naoki…" Shikamaru broke in. He sounded resigned, so the blond shot him a sheepish grin. Shikamaru _really_ didn't need to be here, but Naruto preferred him around when things got hairy. So he mouthed an apology, which Shikamaru accepted with a, "Mendokuse."

Throughout all this Sarutobi stayed silent. He had returned to his chair and was puffing smoke rings at the ceiling to keep from bursting in guffaws. It had been quite a while since he had seen his Elders so flustered and he was enjoying every minute of it. He had agreed to this meeting in hopes of seeing how the Caravan Head would deal under pressure, but it seemed he would have the added pleasure of seeing his 'finest' taken down a peg.

In his mind it was high time for someone to give them a dressing down. He had heard rumors around the village that the Council thought he was their puppet. They thought they could order the Hokage around and he would follow like some whipped dog. It had gotten quite… annoying.

Behind the old Elders, the Clan Heads (a branch of the council) watched the interactions with varying emotions.

Hyuuga Hiashi seemed affronted by the blond's disregard for authority, while the Inuzuka head seemed amused. Then again, no one could predict Tomoe's moods. Akimichi Chouza looked as if he were going to jump in at any moment to calm everyone down, while Uchiha Fugaku's mouth was turned down so far at the corners his lips almost touched his chin. However, the blond didn't seem to notice the enemies he was making as he blatantly ignored them.

"Anyway," The blond continued, oblivious to the glares aimed at his back. "That whole spiel about the contract being invalid is bull. Whenever someone is sent to a shinobi village as a representative, they are given as much respect and authority as the one who sent them. Anything Haruko, Ino, or Lee did while they were here would have been seen as my own actions." He smirked slightly. "In fact, I would bet that what you didn't like was Haruko putting restrictions on taxes, among other things. Am I right?"

Himura reddened in anger. "That's preposterous. Besides, if you looked at the original contract, you would see nothing different. View this as added assurance!"

Naruto was amused. He reached over and plucked the paper out of the council man's hand.

"_I, the Head of the Caravan, do sign this agreement with full knowledge of what it details. I sign it under my own power, and willingly place my signature below._

_The Caravan shall give thirty percent of their earnings to Konoha to pay for room and board._ Well, that's _one_ think I _know_ Haruko would never put in. For one, we wouldn't be sleeping out in a wagon. _I agree that I will obey Konoha's laws. I will respect rank, and will obey the orders of my superiors, the Ninja of Konoha._ Ha! The day Ino consented to that is the day I dye my hair green and run around in my birthday suit. _I will not cause harm to any Konoha member. _And both girls – and Lee – if he had been paying attention, would have added something to the extent of '_except in self-defense._' So, that's strike four."

"Strike four?" Fugaku stated coldly.

"Yep!" Naruto smiled at him, face cheerful, his eyes cold. "After all, the first paragraph stated that I knew exactly what I was signing. Obviously, I didn't, and you didn't want to tell me." He held out the paper to Shikamaru who calmly used his cigarette to light it. "Seriously, if I wanted to, I could black list you all for harassment."

Shikamaru sighed. "Naoki, just get to the point of this visit, please. I've got a shougi game to get back to."

Naruto glanced at him. "Eh? I thought you were playing Go?"

"No doubt by now my opponent has decided I forfeited." Shikamaru glared at him. "In which case, it will have been my first loss."

Naruto laughed nervously and lifted his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay!" He turned to the Hokage, once again ignoring the simmering council behind him. "So, old man! What you call us for?"

Sarutobi smiled. "Oh, nothing in particular. By the way, Tomoe-kun, where is Minato?"

"Eh? Oh, he'll be along in a moment…"

* * *

Kakashi hissed as he landed on his side. Lee stood over him. "Well, I would say this is my victory, Kakashi-kun."

Kakashi glared up at him defiantly. "This proves nothing."

Lee laughed. "This proves everything, Kakashi-san. When my father began training me in the art of tai-jutsu, I was considered 'dead last.' I had no skill in the craft of our village. I am not sharp nor cunning. However, through blood, sweat and tears I came to the place where I can defeat anyone who hurts that which I consider precious." Lee looked thoughtful for a second. "What was that you told me? Those who abandon their mission are trash? Tch, so un-youthful." His round eyes softened. "My rival was the same as you, once. Bitter, hardened by life. He and I still have disagreements which occasionally lead us to blows, but he is my respected rival whom I consider a friend and brother."

Kakashi looked away. However, his search for seclusion was aborted when he met Obito's eyes. Obito was staring at him, hurt warring with disappointment. Finally, the Uchiha huffed and looked away, and Kakashi couldn't understand why if felt as if a knife had been shoved in his side. He winced and looked down. He didn't even want to see the look on Rin's face.

Lee sighed. "Perhaps I am being too hard on you." Kakashi looked up. "I suppose you've never been taught better!" Suddenly he snapped his fingers and punched his palm. "I know! I'll take you to Katashi-kun!"

"Eh? Wha—" Kakashi was hardly able to protest before Lee was dragging him along. Rin and Obito stared after them, shocked at Lee's speed.

"Baka no baka." A voice murmured behind them. The genin swung around to face the tall boy behind them. His long brown hair was pulled up into a braid and his blue eyes followed the dust trail left behind by the enthusiastic Lee. A soft yet exasperated look covered his regal face. If his eyes had been white, Obito would have pinned him for a Hyuuga. "He's so simple you just have to listen to him."

The boy stared at the ground where Lee and Kakashi had been fighting before he snickered. "You're friend won't know what hit him." He sighed. "Well, at least he's not angry at me anymore."

And with that cryptic remark, the boy turned away.

* * *

The Caves

The Third Day After Caravan Departure

Shinsei watched as his temporary caretaker practiced dance. She moved in slow, careful movements, her grace captivating him. In her hands she held two fans which she occasionally opened to make an abrupt slashing or flicking motion. For the life of him, the Iwa Genius couldn't figure out what she was doing. Tsuki didn't seem to notice him, and the eight-year-old was quite content to watch her.

As for Hinata, she was in a world of her own.

* * *

_Konoha_

_Three Months after Naruto's Departure_

_It was Thursday, which meant Girls Day Out. It was the day when the girls of the Konoha Twelve would get together to complain about the boys on their teams. However, as the girls laughed and told jokes, Ten Ten noticed one of them wasn't joining in._

"_Hinata," Tenten placed a hand on her forearm."What's wrong?"_

_Hinata glanced at her. "Ile, it's nothing."She picked up her plate and forced herself to start eating. Tenten cocked an eyebrow. _

"_Well, It's obviously not nothing, or you would have noticed you're eating from _my_ plate."_

_Hinata looked down and gave a startled, "Eep!" as she dropped the plate. Tenten laughed._

"_See! Okay, girl, spill. What's troubling you?" Tenten's face darkened. "It's not Neji again, is it? Cause if it is I swear I'm gonna march up to him and-"_

"_No! No!" Hinata quickly denied. "Neji-nii-san isn't at fault! It's just…"_

"_Just what?" Ino broke in. "Common, Hina-chan! We're friends, you can trust us."_

_Hinata's fingers tightened around her chopsticks, her knuckles white. The three girls watched her and eventually turned away, thinking she wasn't going to speak._

"_I'm worried about my clan."The girls turned to Hinata, attentive. "We are stagnant. I've seen how we fight, and even though our techniques are formidable, if one finds the flaw we will be easily defeated. We don't know how to break away from tradition, and we look down on other ways of combat. But what happens when someone sees through the Gentle Fist?"Then, to the shock of the three girls, Hinata bowed to them. "Please teach me how to fight without the jyuuken!"_

_Tenten, Sakura, and Ino stared at her, dumbfounded. Then, slowly, a smile spread over Tenten's face. "No need to beg, Hinata. It's not like we're going to turn you down! So get up! Up now!" Tenten pulled Hinata to her feet. "Well, I wasn't planning to train today, but hey! If it's for a good cause, I'm game!" She walked towards the exit whilst dragging the Hyuuga Heir behind her. "You coming girls?"_

_Ino and Sakura exchanged glances. "Hai!"_

* * *

_It was the start of a long and grueling training process for the Hyuuga Heir. She trained without her clan's knowledge with the three girls. Kurenai-sensei had realized something was off when Hinata would come to practice with bruises and cuts. Of course, Kurenai having always being suspicious of Hinata's home life had promptly challenged the heir about her injuries. Thus, Kurenai found herself inducted into the small group 'in the know.' This had proved to be a wise move as Kurenai knew more about fighting than all three girls combined. _

_Tsunade found out when she overheard Sakura talking to Tenten about it, so she talked Kurenai into teaching all the girls new skills. Tsunade's genjutus having never been up to par with a chuunin, Sakura had been forced to learn gen-jutsu from Kurenai. She had never regretted it._

_Hinata had found herself immersed in a study group where everyone learned from each other. Tenten taught them about weapons, Sakura taught them about healing, Ino taught them 'interrogation,' and Kurenai taught Gen-jutsu. Hinata found herself sharing her wealth of knowledge about politics and chakra flow. _

_Hinata found herself focusing on Senbon and the Art of the Fan._

_Senbon were a natural weapon for the Hyuuga Heiress. Her knowledge of anatomy and her Byakugan enabled her to hit pressure points easily. The Fan took a little longer for her to dominate. The fans Hinata chose were small and elegant hand fans, such as the Daimyo and his Lady would use. However, they were made of metal and their edges were sharpened. Hinata had hers made so as to shoot senbon from the wide end. By opening the fan and flicking it in a rapid movement, five senbon would hurl from the metal spine. _

_Sakura had taken one look at its design and decided to stick with her small explosive notes. Tenten, who had mastered the Art of the Fan a long time ago, was directed to teach the Hyuuga Heir. _

_Tenten was a patient teacher. She rarely got angry and would spend considerable time from her own training regime to help Hinata. The two girls became close to the point of requesting missions with each other. The four girls, after their promotion to chuunin, would take missions together whenever their squad schedules would allow. These days were the catalyst for finally knitting the breech that had formed between Sakura and Ino._

_Naruto eventually returned and Squad Seven was reinstated. This time was peppered with things such as the Rescue of Gaara, and the Attempts at Retrieving Sasuke. All throughout that period, Sakura was very busy, but they still managed to have their Thursday Girl Meetings. During those days, Sakura's emotional state had been fragile and Hinata had found herself shoved into her first leadership role._

_Just before war was formally declared on Akatsuki, Hinata took an increased corner of the mantle of leadership in her Clan. She didn't hesitate and began making radical changes – most of them behind her father's back. She made it a requirement for the Branch Members to study advanced Tai-jutsu and Nin-jutsu. Weapons fighting, such as swords and spears, was also highly encouraged. She also created a fake Bird Cage Seal which she would place on new branch members. In this manner, the elders of the Clan never knew that people weren't actually being branded._

_By the time she formally assumed the mantle of Leadership, Hinata had influenced the Hyuuga Clan more than any other leader since its founding._

* * *

"Tsuki – sama, are you alright?" Shinsei's voice cut into her musings. Hinata blinked and realized she had frozen in mid swing. She smiled at the boy, her Byakugan taking in his appearance through the bandages that hid her silver eyes.

"Ah, I'm fine, Shinsei-kun." She tilted her head. "…Perhaps a little distracted."

Shinsei nodded, before remembering that she couldn't see him (supposedly), and spoke aloud. "Okay then. Um… It's been a week since I got here already."

Hinata frowned. "Has it really." She walked over to pick up her towel and dry her face. "I hadn't realized. Are you already counting down the days?"

"Well…" Shinsei shifted slightly. "You know, I just want to keep my options open… yeah…" He looked away over his shoulder, glancing at her in sulky, fugitive looks. Hinata hid her smile. In the week they'd been alone she had learned a lot about the boy, and his mannerisms amused her.

"You are perfectly welcome to stay with the Caravan if you wish. Of course, if you do so you will never be a shinobi again." Hinata watched behind her bandaged eyes as Shinsei's face twisted in uncertainty. Finally the boy scowled.

"Hey! I never said I wanted to stay here!" He stomped out of the cavern. "Stop assuming things, woman!" Unfortunately he was so caught up in his tantrum he missed the exit by a full four inches and slammed into the stone wall. He stumbled back dazedly, his eyes unfocused. Hinata struggled not to laugh as he muttered, "I meant to do that." And continued his march. When he tripped over a piece of debris, however, she gave it up as a bad job all around.

Hinata's peals of laughter echoed behind him.

* * *

Hinata signed for her package tranquilly. Behind her she could hear Shinsei try to avoid conversation with some of the town boys. "Will that be all, nee-chan?" The desk attendant leaned over to grab the paper from her. Was it her imagination of was his hand lingering next to hers?

"Aa, agrigato shuuhaijin-san (mailman)." Hinata answered quietly, pulling her hand away from his. His chakra wavered and Hinata's bandages hid her frown. _His chakra feels dirty_. She paid him and walked out side, calling Shinsei to her.

They had several more stops before they could go home, and she couldn't help but feel anxious as the man's gaze burned itself into her back.

* * *

They had divided up the work. Shinsei was responsible for buying a hammer and nails. He was to stop by a clothing store and choose an outfit. She would pick him up there after picking up the new loom she had commissioned and some embroidery cloth. Her bandages wouldn't allow her to pick out the color of the thread, but her sensitive fingers could easily tell between higher and lower quality of fabric. She knew that several sales people would be willing to assist her.

This was not, after all, the first time Hinata had to play blind. During many undercover missions she had learned all the tricks used by the blind to live comfortably. She could read Braille, play Shougi and chess. She knew how to knot the unused ends of her thread so she could tell colors apart. Her four other senses had adapted to increase her mobility. Reading chakra ensured that she could sense everyone in a twenty meter radius, a useful tool even when she wasn't walking around with a blind fold. Her increased chakra sense had one disability though.

The crowded streets of the civilian town jostled her as she walked. Her knuckles whitened around the white cane she used to feel in front of her. So many beings crowded around her, all of them filled with different levels of chakra. The strong ones shone like mini suns around her, while the weaker ones felt like a candle. Occasionally she flinched as a vacuum seemed to appear. These were the people who were ill or depressed.

Hinata was so concentrated on not bumping into anyone or thing, she didn't notice the chakra signature following her down four different alleyways.

* * *

Shinsei frowned as he scanned the streets from the store window. Tsume-hime was late, which was totally unlike her. Despite only having lived in the cave for a little under a week, he had already figured out that Tsume was never anything but proper. And being less than punctual was _not_ proper. A hard ball formed in his stomach and he dashed out the door of the shop. He ignored the curious look of the passerby's as he searched for the tall form dressed in an elegant kimono. It was blue with pink highlights, if he remembered correctly.

As he dashed down the street, he expanded his chakra searching for any disturbance. Chakra carried people's emotions better than their faces, and it definitely increased your range. Tsuki's chakra was calm and sedate like its possessor. It felt warm and reassuring, much like he imagined his mother's would have felt. He was going down his fourth road when he caught whiff of it. Except, this time her chakra signature held killing intent. His jaw hardening, he formed the seals for the shunshin no jutsu and took off.

* * *

Hinata hissed as she slammed into the nearby wall. _Of all the days to wear my new silk kimono! _The chakra in front of her confirmed her attacker to be the mailman from this morning, something that didn't really surprise her. What _did_ surprise her was his ability to restrain her for a good five minutes. She had been walking in front of an alley when he had grabbed her, her shock making her weak enough for him to subdue her and tie her up. She had figured it was another pervert out for a thrill until he started talking about a slave market.

Hinata felt enraged to her very core. This man wanted to sell her? This man had sold others like her? This man had no idea who he was dealing with. Pumping chakra to her forearms she strained against the ropes that bound her. The chords cut into her arms, cutting off her circulation. Stinging pain coursed through her arms as blood trickled down from the new rope cuts on her wrist. The man picked her up and slung her over his shoulder, his hand on her rear. Hinata's eyes narrowed in indignation and she redoubled her efforts to free herself.

_This is pathetic, Hina! You can't even get out of a civilian knot?_

She bit the cloth gag in frustration. _Are you always going to be so weak?_

The man made his way into the back of the alley where he had set up a ladder leading to the roof. "Oh yes, nii-chan. You are going to make me lots of money. Where you're going it don't matter if you can't see!"

Hinata strained against the ropes. _A little bit more. Just a little bit… _She never got the chance to finish ripping through the chords. With a furious yell, Shinsei slammed into her capturer, sending him flying in one direction while Hinata soared head first in another. She could sense the wall coming closer and winced. _This is going to hurt._

Shinsei caught her in mid air and landed away from the attacker. He set her down and prepared to fight, only to relax when he realized the man was unconscious. Head on collisions with walls tend to do that. He turned to the teenager beside him. "Are you okay, Tsuki-hime?"

Hinata nodded, smiling slightly. "Aa, Shinsei-kun. That I am." She lifted an eyebrow so it appeared over the strips that bound her eyes. "-Hime?"

Shinsei blushed furiously until even his ears were red. Hinata's smile widened. "I am honored you think of me as such. Now, perhaps you could untie my bonds?"

* * *

After Hinata had related her tale, the mailman had been taken away to prison. The mayor nervously assured her they would uncover the slave ring, and Hinata left the town with the impression of a job well done. One of the doctors had put poulace and bindings on her wrists so they didn't pain her. She was quite interested in what he had used, having been an expert at medicinal herbs and remedies since childhood.

Thus, Hinata was happy and humming a lithe tune on their way home.

The same could not be said for the storm cloud known as Shinsei, however. Finally, Hinata decided it wasn't going to help to ignore his sulking. "May I ask what is troubling you, Shinsei-kun?"

Shinsei looked away stubbornly. Hinata sighed. _Kids. Always so stubborn!_

"I have found that it is better to drain infected wounds, rather than let them fester." Hinata admonished softly. Shinsei glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, before fixing his sight on the road. The Hyuuga Heiress resisted the urge to hit him over the head. One more try, then.

"You know, today was a very good day. Not only did we get wonderful fabrics, you also got a new outfit! This new thread is also very beautiful. And can you believe we managed to uncover a slave ring? How lucky."

"Luck!" Shinsei spat out. "_What_ luck? You got assaulted and injured! We were delayed at the police station, and what do you bet that mayor was in on it! We didn't do anything except get you hurt!"

Hinata frowned. "That is an awfully pessimistic way to look at things, Shinsei-kun! I wasn't hurt that badly. Think of it rather as an adventure to relate to Neji-nii-san when he returns. I can already imagine the look of utter horror on his face."

Shinsei swung around, angry. "This isn't funny, Tsuki! You could have been killed, or sold, or… or… worse! I-I…" The boy turned away as suddenly as he came and began marching away. Hinata stared after him for a moment in shock. Had he been… _worried_ for her?

Hinata lifted her kimono and ran after him. She grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around, hugging him tightly. She was surprised and pleased when he hugged her back, and shocked when he started to cry.

The moment marked a deep and sudden change in Hyuuga Hinata. A change known as maternal instinct.

* * *

Naruto was frustrated, not to mention antsy. As far as he knew there was only one Minato who was called to an elder's meeting, and Naruto was _not_ ready to come face to face with him. He didn't know if he'd ever be. After all, it was this man who had made Naruto's life living hell for the last eighteen years. Without so much as a by-your-leave he had sealed Kyuubi into Naruto's belly, and hadn't had the decency to stick around for the fall out.

Shikamaru shifted uncomfortably behind him. Making a decision, he tapped Naruto on the shoulder. "Naoki-sama, may I speak to you for a bit?"

Naruto shot him a relieved look, and after glancing towards the Hokage, he followed his subordinate out a side door.

"Yes?" Naruto asked after the door closed behind them. Shikamaru calmly lit another cigarette, only to frown in annoyance as Naruto snatched it away.

"You're chain smoking again." The blue-eyed boy calmly threw it into a potted plant. "If you aren't careful you'll kill yourself."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Troublesome. I suppose I don't have living a dangerous life as an excuse anymore."

"Definitely not." Naruto answered immediately. "Now, what was it you needed to talk to me about?"

"I just thought it might be prudent to remind you to breathe." Shikamaru answered nonchalantly. He leaned back against the wall as Naruto stared at him. Then, slowly, the blond began to chuckle.

"Heh!" He grinned. "Thanks, Shika. I needed that." With a deep breath the Number One Most Unpredictable Former-Ninja leaned himself against the wall. Naruto leaned his head back and closed his eyes. The sun streamed in through the nearby window, hitting him against the face and warming his body. His muscles relaxed and he sighed.

The reprieve lasted a few minutes before the blond's brain began working again. Naruto wasn't always the sharpest tool in the box. Sure, during battle there were few others who could make snap decisions like he did while in berserker mode, but politics and rational thinking had never been his strong point. Naruto was a boy driven by his emotions. His blunt and stunted upbringing had ingrained animalistic instincts into him which had only been enforced with his gradual merging with Kyuubi.

Naruto knew he had zero talent in diplomacy, but his blunt honesty and open face had given him a natural charisma that seemed to draw allies around him.

However, charisma wasn't going to help him here. _Should I kill Itachi or let him live. Decisions, decisions._

Though Naruto had so boldly stated that the Sound War survivors were no longer shinobi, and thus would no longer have to do dirty things such as kill children, a part of Naruto rebelled against letting Itachi live. In a very real way, Itachi was a large player in causing the Sound War. If Itachi hadn't killed the Uchiha Clan, Sasuke wouldn't have been possessed by revenge. A non-vengeful Sasuke meant a non-power-seeking maniac Sasuke. A non-power hungry Sasuke meant no Sasuke becoming Orochimaru's right hand man, which meant he would never be possessed by Orochimaru, which meant Orochimaru wouldn't have had the Sharingan which gave him the confidence to declare war on the Leaf.

_Tch. It all comes back to you, Teme, doesn't it._ Naruto opened his eyes into narrow slits to watch the sunbeams dance on the carpet. On the other hand, Naruto was forced to admit he didn't want to kill Itachi. Naruto had never understood why Sasuke hadn't finished Itachi off after chasing him all over kingdom come. However, after seeing the four-year-old boy with dead eyes who hit all targets without a hint of satisfaction, whose proud father stood at a distance, and whose mother was too timid to hold him, Naruto was beginning to understand the Uchiha genius. Itachi had been a showpiece. A tool, a decoration.

During the war against Akatsuki, Naruto had grabbed everything he could about the members of that cursed group. Among the countless folders read had been a diagnostic on the Uchiha Clan and a description of Itachi's official, and unofficial life. From the physique evaluations and the observations of Itachi's commanding officers, Naruto was now able to fit together a picture.

In summary, Itachi had never been allowed to be a child. He had started training as a ninja before he could walk. He was taught clan matters before he could read or write. He graduated before most children joined the Ninja Academy. Itachi had known nothing in his life except the pursuit of power.

It was no wonder he had turned to Madara. Madara had found the perfect pawn in Itachi, and the Uchiha Clan had more or less handed him over with a bright red and black bow attatched.

_No,_ Naruto mused._ There is no way I can kill Itachi in cold blood. Really, if I want to stop Itachi from becoming a monster, all I have to do is get to him before Madara does. And then I just have to show him that power and fighting isn't everything._

A polite knocking broke Naruto out of his thoughts as Tomoe stuck his head through the door. "Yo! Minato's here, so I guess you'd better come on in."

Naruto grinned his thanks and turned to face his next demon:

His father.

* * *

Minato shifted nervously as the boy called Naoki entered the room, followed closely by his spiky haired companion. The blond cast a glance around the room, his eyes landing on the older man for a second. Naoki blanched for a second before clearing his face.

The boy certainly _looked_ like a Namikaze, though his face and body posture didn't match. His expression was just too… open! And his posture was confrontational. Not to say the Namikaze Clan wasn't known for being… controversial, but at least they were _subtle _about it in the beginning.

_Of course_, he noted, _by the sour looks on Mitokado-san and Utitane-san's faces, he has probably been antagonizing them for quite some time._

The suave and cocky grin the boy shot at Utitane confirmed Minato's suspicions. _Aw, man, if I didn't know better I would say that was the same look Kushina throws at Utitane-dono when she meets her. Right before she starts calling her an old…_

"Heya, Old Bag! How you hangin'! Not too well, judging by all those wrinkles on your face. Ever heard of Botox?"

Minato choked and heard Nara Shikaku chuckle behind him. _Did he really call her… and Botox?_

Utitane's face reddened. "_Brat!"_ she hissed.

"And proud of it!" Naoki retorted. "Maa, is that the worst you can come up with? It's almost as bad as your face! Maybe you really are old fashioned. And here I thought it was just your clothes."

This time Minato's eyes weren't the only ones to open wide. He was pretty sure he heard Chouza swallow his dango harshly and Shikaku draw in a sharp breath. Tomoe grinned wildly, eagerly anticipating the upcoming match.

It wasn't common knowledge, but Koharu was very conscientious about her appearance. The blond boy had just crossed into very dangerous territory, and based off of the smug look on his face as well as the irritated and annoyed expression of his subordinate, they both knew it.

_Well, this has gone to the dogs rather fast._ Minato reconciled to the thought that he wasn't going to get out of here quickly or easily and decided to hide in the corner. _Why couldn't I do the _smart_ thing and train my team today? Or better, take an A rank mission and get far. away. from. here_.

Even fighting Iwa was preferable right now.

* * *

Shikamaru leaned up against the wall and let his eyes wander. Naruto was baiting the Elders again, something that Shikamaru didn't necessarily approve of but understood. After Naruto had made chuunin, Tsunade had pulled him aside and explained some of the politics that were happening behind the scenes. She explained how certain members of the Council were behind several of the attacks on his life, and how they were trying to restrict him from going on missions. She also revealed several ways that the Elders had stirred up resentment against the jinchuuriki, and how their positions on the Council would make it difficult for him to be Hokage.

Naruto had listened to her silently, hugged her in thanks, then walked out and hunted them down. That year was remembered for the worst epidemic of pranking known to Konoha. The Elders soon were afraid to leave their homes for fear he would desecrate them. Their homes were assaulted with paint, mud, slime, and smelly socks. Their clothes were stolen and scattered all across the village.

Naruto investigated their points of vanity, and derived sadistic pleasure in making a mockery of them.

It was childish, but it was just so _Naruto_ that no one could really accuse him for being immature.

The Elders had eventually been forced to resign from their positions to get away from the enraged jinchuuriki. Naruto had then taken it upon himself to promote trusted comrades to the positions of power. When Tsunade had picked up the sheet giving her the list of names for the newly opened Elder positions, she had cast a shrewed look at Naruto. "Did you plan this?"

"Who, me?" Naruto asked innocently. Tsunade smiled and stamped her approval. In her mind, the new Elders were really more for Naruto's benefit for after he took the mantle away from her. Why not make his future dealings easier?

Shikamaru, the present Shikamaru, wanted to wince. How ironic.

Oh well. Naruto had received the burden of the Hokage without his council of Elders anyway. And to Shikamaru's eyes he had done a fine job without them.

* * *

Kakashi turned the page of his book, careful to hide his lower face behind the cover. It wouldn't do for Sakura to see him blush and steal his precious keepsake. Honestly, that women couldn't tell true literature apart from trash if she tried!

_Seriously, where did Jiraiya come up with these things!_

Kakashi glanced up at a sudden surge of killing intent and found the pink-haired former jounin standing in front of him, a vein popping in her forehead. "_Ka-ta-shi_ – what _exactly _are you reading?"

He laughed nervously. "A cook book?"

She drew back her arm, and Katashi decided that running away was the best course of valor. He jumped over the wagon side and sprinted down the road, Sakura yelling and shaking her fist at him from inside the wagon. _Tch. Stop and come back? Who is she kidding? She'll burn my book!_

Kakashi was in such a hurry he didn't notice the green clad Gai clone until he was right on top of him. He stumbled over his feet in an attempt to slow down and knocked himself and Lee head over heels. This action had absolutely nothing to do with the silver-haired accompanying Lee. Nothing at all. Obviously, it wouldn't do for his younger self to think him a fool.

Right.

And Minato-sensei would come around the corner in a princess pink tutu and daisies in his hair.

"Katashi-san!" Lee exclaimed when he had finally rightened himself. "I have come with this unruly fellow in hopes that you will teach him how to properly stoke his flames of youth. I caught him engaging in un-youthful conduct against his rival, Uchiha Obito-san, and I have high hopes that you shall show him the error of his ways! If you do not, I shall dress in one of Ino's pink tutu's and do a ballet around the village! I shall also sing She's Only A Woman at the top of my lungs!" Lee pushed the younger Kakashi into his older-self's arms. "I am counting on you not to fail! These actions which you are about to partake in hold the fate of all rivalries on your shoulders!"

With a military salute, Lee marched away. Kakashi – the older one – blinked twice before glancing down at the shocked boy in his arms. "Well… I don't know about you, but I sure don't want to see that. I guess that must mean I have to figure out what he was babbling about, eh?"

Kakashi-junior scowled. "Whatever. Just let me go."

Kakashi-senior cocked an eyebrow. "So, who are you again?"

Kakashi-junior sneered. "It is proper for the inquisitor to introduce himself first."

"Aa, aa! I call myself Katashi." Katashi grinned. _Strange, I don't remember being such a brat._ "And your name?"

"Hatake Kakashi." Kakashi bit out.

Katashi grinned. "Okay Hamake Kafashi! What was Lee talking about?"

Oh yes. Katashi was _so_ going to enjoy this.

* * *

TBC…

Whew! Wasn't that a flurry of fun. Itachi is discussed, Minato and Naruto see each other, problems with the Council of Elders are brought into the open, we checked up on Hinata and Shinsei, and Lee adds fuel to the fire with the younger Kakashi. Tune in next time to see the solution to the Dilemma of Itachi. Kushina also makes an appearance, and Kakashi (the older Kakashi) proves exactly how much he knows himself. This much and more!

Reviews are greatly appreciated! They encourage me and give me inspiration, so keep them coming!

P.S. I have gotten a lot of reviews telling me that the pace of my story is too slow. Like my daddy told me, if there are a lot of complaints, there's a problem. So why am I saying this? I really do want to make this story an enjoyable read. Thus, tell me how it could be faster. Give me clues on what makes it drag. I really don't know what I'm doing to make it so slow paced, so if you guys would give me hints I would thank you from the bottom of my heart.


	8. Stop the World

Well - It's late but it's finally here! Our wireless crashed, so there are now four people vying over one Internet chord.

I just wanted to say thanks for the amazing support and advice so many of you took the time to give me! It really gave me the incentive to write more. Thanks once again for all the help and constructive criticism! You guys are awesome!

Also - I try to respond to all reviews, but unfortunately I haven't figured out a good way to send my responses to the anounimous people. I just wanted you guys to know I appreciate your reviews! Thanks!

* * *

Chapter Eight

_Konoha Hokage Tower_

The rest of the meeting consisted of political games, which bored Naruto very quickly. So, he decided to play a few pranks such as pouring delayed itching powder down the old hag's dress. It would hold off until she walking into direct sunlight before making her dress the embodiment of suffering. Shikamaru rolled his eyes at his antics but didn't stop him. Naruto got the feeling Shikamaru was ready to get out of there as well.

Finally the Hokage let them go, and Shikamaru had to restrain Naruto to keep him from bursting down the doors in an attempt to get away. Nara Shikaku chuckled dryly as he watched the interplay. "Not one for politics, kid?"

Both boys made faces. "-Eck, no!" The blond exclaimed.

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm surprised you lasted this long, Naoki." He snorted. "Usually you're declaring war within ten minutes."

Akimichi Chouza looked startled. "War?"

"Prank war." Shikamaru clarified, amused. It was so weird to talk to his father and surrogate father on equal terms like this. Not only that, but they weren't much older than him! His dad would be.. twenty two. What a scary thought.

Shikaku rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Prank war, eh? Well, if you ever need competition there's a jounin who's reputation has become rather formidable. Kushina Uzumaki."

Naruto smiled tightly. "Really? Heh, Rouma told me about her a while ago, but I thought he was exaggerating."

"We only _wish_he were." Chouza dryly replied. "Uzumaki-chan has made it a hobby to antagonize the village elders."

A laugh broke out of Inoichi. "I don't know. Seeing old sour puss's face twist up like that is definitely worth the trouble that comes afterwards!" The long-haired man chuckled. "Between the red-headed wench and you, kid, I don't think we'll be bored. Too bad I have a mission."

Shikaku frowned. "Inoichi! Hush."

"What?" The Yamanaka asked, shrugging his shoulders. "It's not like its classified." Chouza hurriedly broke in, the fights between Yamanaka and Nara being infamous.

"Shall we go? I'm starving!"

Inoichi snorted. "Always thinking with your stomach, Akimichi. You know if you get any fatter we'll have to haul you around in a wagon!"

Chouza froze, as did everyone else in the room. "What did you just call me?"

Minato and Shikaku exchanged glances and rapidly grabbed the Akimichi's shoulders, ready to restrain him if necessary. Inoichi was rapidly trying to backtrack, but was only digging himself a bigger hole. "Er, what I meant to say, Chouza, was just that you're bigger boned than most people, and when you eat more, you… er, ah, well, get…"

Shikamaru leaned back against a nearby wall and smirked. It wasn't every day he saw his parents make complete fools of themselves… And a stuttering Yamanaka that looked like Ino provided entertainment like none other.

Not that he would tell Ino that.

--

Sai dragged his easel to the ledge overlooking the village. It was a perfect view. The sky was a deep aquamarine today, with perhaps a hint of baby blue. The Hokage Mountain reflected a hint of the sky, so he would make the stone more red. Perhaps with a hint of orange. He grabbed the oil paint from his box and set about making the picture. He was tempted to paint the Yondaime and Godaime on the Mountain to spite Naruto and Sakura, but decided against it.

Orders were orders after all. And painting a future Konoha was _not_discrete. Sai worked as rapidly as the oil paint would let him, running his brush over the wet paint to make it softer and friendlier. He was finishing a white and grey cloud when he felt the prickly feeling of expelling chakra. He frowned. He hadn't felt chakra this dead since his Root days, and it wasn't bringing back pleasant memories.

He moved to put new paint on his brush, only to stop as his hand trembled. He closed his eyes and sighed in resignation. Placing his brush in the cleaning oil, he stood up. "Yare yare. I do believe the Idiot is rubbing off on me."

--

Naruto wasn't exactly sure how his father had talked him into dinner. Maybe it had something to do with the ramen in front of him, but he was sure he wasn't so dense as to accept a bribe like that!

_Apparently not._He thought to himself, looking down at his ramen glumly.

"Oi, you gonna finish that?" Minato asked, pointing with his chopsticks. Naruto glanced at him from the corner of his eye before grinning.

"You better believe it! Ramen is the best food in the world. It's cheap, tasty and has good memories for me!" Naruto laughed. Minato lifted an eyebrow.

"Really? Like what?" Not that he disagreed, of course, Kami-sama forbid. He was just wondering if the kid had the same kind of feelings about the food as he did.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably, not liking the look in Minato's eyes. He decided to throw out the faux story he and Shikamaru had come up with. "Eh, well. I was an orphan. No one knew who my parents were, or at least, if they did know they didn't tell me. So anyway, I was considered to be a taboo to the kids and adults, but there was this really cool sensei who watched out for me. He would always buy me Ramen. Ramen for my birthday, ramen for his birthday, ramen for my first date, ramen for my graduation, ramen, ramen, ramen." He laughed. "Looking back, I really ate him out of house and home!"

He glanced to his mirror image and hid a wince. Minato's eyes had gained a new glint. _--! I was trying to head him off, not give him another bone! What caught his interest, --!_

Minato returned to his meal. "Well, I get a fairly large paycheck, so you can eat your fill."

Naruto laughed. "Sure you won't regret that? Another Miso Ramen, Oyaji!"

* * *

Sai crept through the trees, years of training making it impossible for him to any sound. His shoes made it more difficult, and his required khakis were quickly getting on his nerves as they seemingly caught on every bush and bramble in the entire forest. He finally took to the trees, ignoring the voice of Sakura that was lecturing him about staying hidden.

He hit the ground ten feet away from his target and started pushing his way through the dense foliage.

Grunts and 'thwaks' sounded from in front of him. It was the sound of fists on wood. The sound stopped abruptly and Sai crossed the plant barrier in time to see the small figure slump at the base of the tree. The Uchiha fan was prominently displayed on his back, his dark hair and pale skin revealing his heritage. Sai froze, his gut tight. _Oh –-- no. No way, no how. Reform all evil people philosophy of Naruto be --. There is no way I'm going to help…_

The shoulders of the small boy in front of him heaved. With a gagging sound the child retched into the nearby bushes before standing up and grabbing a kunai. The young Uchiha began hacking away at the tree in front of him, deep gasping breaths and the thunk of the kunai the only sounds in the clearing. Sai took his eyes off the boy to glance around to the nearby trees. At least ten of them suffered extensive damage. There were two or three that were still smoldering. Sai swallowed thickly.

This was the power of Uchiha Itachi, and he wanted no part of it.

_Unfortunately_, he contemplated as he made his way to the trembling boy, _the baka has rubbed off on me more than I thought. _

"Ohayo! Uchiha-san! Are you okay?"

Itachi spun around, his kunai held in standard defense to attack position. Sai watched him impassively. _Tear marks, signs of stress. Frustration. Is this really Uchiha Itachi?_

Minato felt sick to his stomach. If what Naoki had said was true, then it was more than possible they were related. _But how to suggest it…_

"You know, a few years ago my family was slaughtered in a Ninja attack. We assumed everyone was killed, but we never found the body of one of my cousins. He was four during the attack. If he lived he would be about your age right now." Minato laughed. "It doesn't hurt you have the typical Namikaze looks going for you!"

Naruto blinked. _What are the chances?_"Er, sorry Namikaze-san! I don't remember that far back!"

Minato watched him, his face carefully blank as Naruto scrambled for an answer. _This was unexpected. Where's Shikamaru's cunning to get me out of this!_

"Look, Minato-san, while it is possible, the chances are… what? Two billion to one?"

Namikaze nodded. "Sounds about right."

Naruto blinked. "And you're _still_ asking me? You are optimistic, aren't you!"

"Well, you didn't tear down the road screaming, so I take that as a good sign." Minato picked up his ramen bowl and quickly slurped up the remnants. "And I'm not that optimistic, but Kushina will never let me live it down if I don't ask."

"Kushina?" Naruto asked, though he had already identified the name from three days ago. It wasn't every day you learned you mother was the pranking menace of a village.

"Uzumaki Kushina." Minato elaborated. "We're – well, I guess you could call us friends… some of the time. She's the one who told me to ask you. Said the worst that could happen is it be true. Naturally, I defended my honor and that was why I was late today."

Naruto laughed. "She sounds like quite a character!"

"Yeah, the best." Minato answered, smiling fondly. "Speaking of which, I still owe her dinner."

Naruto turned back to his meal. It was funny to hear your Dad - who you had just met - talk about your mom in a supposedly platonic manner. Tsunade had told him his father had adored his mother, and Naruto could already see hints of this in Minato's face. It was in his smile when he talked about her. It was in the spark that appeared in his eye when her name was mentioned.

For some reason Naruto felt warm inside. Somehow, knowing that his father had loved his mom dearly made the Kyuubi deal more forgiving. After learning about the fox sealed inside him, Naruto had often wondered if the Hokage had callously left his mother to die when facing the Monster. He had wondered if he was the result of a one night stand, despite Tsunade's assurances to the contrary. Knowing that his father loved, or had the potential to love, his mother and by consequence himself, made Naruto feel a lot happier.

"So," Naruto said through a mouth of noodles. "Let's say it is true. Do I get to call you Minato-otooji?"

Minato glanced at him. "If it's true? Heh. I'd like that."

_Well, _thought Naruto as he walked away, _it's not 'Dad', but I guess I can live with it. Uncle Minato. It'll take some getting used to._

Boy, did he ever have things to tell the crowd back at the caravan. Come to think of it, he still had to talk to Lee about getting into fights. They had felt him all the way over at the Hokage Tower even without Chakra. _Seriously, is he trying to blow our cover? Civilian training only goes so far!_

* * *

It was a battle to end all battles. Dark eyes locked on each other, neither boy willing to look away. The wind blew dust into their eyes, but they didn't move a muscle.

"Who are you?" Itachi demanded, his voice monotone. Sai gave a fake smile.

"I am called Sai."

Itachi didn't blink. "Sai: A knife like weapon used for defense. Handle is bent up toward the blade so as to easily trap offensive weapons. Made out to be an offensive weapon in popular culture. Typically a female weapon."

Sai tilted his head. "Is that so? It seems you learn something new every day."

Itachi stared at him calmly. Finally the young Uchiha stood up and gathered his tools. "Why are you here?"

"I heard something and got curious." Sai replied. _That's my story and I'm sticking to it._

Itachi walked past him towards the village. He stopped and stood for a moment with his back to Sai.

"What is it like to be human?" The four-year-old asked curiously.

Sai glanced at him.

"Aren't you human?"

"Ile." Itachi answered matter-a-factly. "I am a tool." Sai frowned. _So that's it. No wonder his chakra was dead. And at his age too._

"I am afraid I cannot answer your question, Uchi… what is your personal name?" He refused to call him by that despicable family name. Not yet anyway.

Itachi glanced at him confused. "Itachi."

"Aa, Itachi-san. I am afraid I can't answer your question. However, one of my friends will be the perfect teacher. Unfortunately, he is in a meeting. But you are welcome to spend time in my company, if you wish." Sai smiled at him, hoping that someone who was as socially inept as Itachi wouldn't be able to tell it was fake. Itachi studied him for a moment before nodding.

"I have a few hours before the Clan Head expects my return."

Sai smiled. To Sai, who had been raised as a weapon, it never occurred to question that a four-year-old was left unsupervised for so long. Nor did it bother him that Itachi referred to his father as the Clan Head, not his dad.

* * *

Kakashi glared at the man in front of him, willing his eyes to turn into daggers and stab him in the back. How could anyone be so _annoying_! The eleven year old had never, _never, _in his entire life felt so willing to murder someone like he did right now, consequences or not. He was sure it was acceptable. _Any_ reasonable human being with a heart would agree with him. However, the rules stated he could not attack neutral civilians and thus his hands were tied.

His glare intensified as Katashi gave out a perverted giggle. _What kind of person reads that junk anyway! And in broad daylight!_ He had taken a glance over Katashi's shoulder, only to turn away red and stuttering. _Pervert!_

Katashi, in the mean time, had glanced at his crimson face and burst out laughing. Had Kakashi mentioned he was annoying yet? The guy wouldn't stop humming! Katashi always mangled Kakashi's name, disregarded any signs of respect to jounins and chuunins (Kakashi included), and would occasionally read parts of his book out loud – around people! His reputation was going to be ruined! _Ruined_!

Not only that, he had a total disregard for standards of conduct. When Katashi first began leading him around, the eye patch-wearing man had told Kakashi they wouldn't really be able to talk because he had an appointment at one. When Kakashi had pointed out it was already 3:00, Katashi smiled and answered, "Of course! I wouldn't want to be on _time, _now would I?"

It was even worse than Obito!

"Makashi-san!" the older man called in a sing-song voice. "If you keep that expression too long it'll stick like that!"

The chuunin growled. _Who cares about capital punishment! _He reached down to grab a kunai. _I should get a medal!_

And that was how Hatake Kakashi, prodigy, genius and respectable chuunin, broke the rules for the first time in four years.

* * *

Kakashi – the older, porn reading, rule disregarding Kakashi – grinned from behind his book when he felt his chibi-self flash killing intent. Who knew egging yourself on could be so much fun? But honestly, he must congratulate Lee and the others for wearing the younger Hatake down. _I still can't believe I was such a brat!_

"Makashi-san!" He called, enjoying the spike of chakra Kakashi released at hearing his new name. "If you keep that expression too long it'll stick like that!"

Katashi dodged out of the way just in time to avoid the hail of kunai, and raised an eyebrow in the silver-haired boy's direction. Kakashi was staring at his hand as if it'd bit him, his eyes wide. Katashi didn't have to be a mind reader to know what he was thinking. _What did I just do!_

"Maa, maa, Kafashi-san! No need to get violent. It's a good thing we aren't in public, or else you might get punished, ne?" Katashi smiled at him. "Now that we've gotten that out of the way, how about I start teaching you what its like to be more human and less of a clamped volcano." He smiled at Kakashi. "Kamafi-san."

It took all of the eleven-year-old's control not to launch himself at the civilian. Naturally, that didn't stop his killing intent but to his immense frustration, the taller man didn't even seem fazed.

"What is wrong with you!" Kakashi finally burst out. "Can you even call yourself an adult? Have you _no _sense of dignity? What about your pride! You're just a waste of breathing space!"

"Maybe, maybe not." Katashi shrugged, his voice nonchalant. "Of course, if I am a waste of breathing space, I assume that means your lungs are so fragile you need every pint of air to support your puny little body."

Kakashi flushed in anger, his shoulders quivering as he struggled to suppress impulse to strangle the older man. Katashi hid his smile behind his book. _Five… four… three… two… one…_

"Who do you think you are!" Kakashi exploded. "You're just a civilian! I'm a chuunin! I am a rule abiding shinobi who is willing to throw everything away to complete a mission! You still haven't taken your face out of that piece of sh-sh…shoelace you call literature!"

Katashi cocked an eyebrow. "My, my. Is the big, grown up shinobi afraid to swear?" Kakashi smirked. "Funny, you didn't have a problem when you were with Obito, or so Lee told me."

"That's because Obito's Obito! He's… when did Lee tell you that?"

"Oh, you know. He told me when he told me." Katashi waved his hand nonchalantly. "Not that that concerns you… Kalaspi Hamakfi."

"Hatake Kakashi!" The child growled. "We are a distinguished and respected clan! The Hatake Family has served Konoha faithfully for generations! Our honor is unblemished! You have no right to look down on us!"

"Completely unblemished, eh?" Katashi mused, his visible eye focusing on the boy beside him. "Really. Not a single black mark on your entire family tree?"

Kakashi gritted his teeth. _He can't possibly know. But even if he does, what does it matter; It's just one more judge to join the thousands._ Narrowing his eyes at the tall man beside him, he turned away. "What is it you want anyway?"

"Oh nothing much." Katashi answered, flipping another page. "I'm just enjoying this chance to annoy you."

* * *

Uzumaki Kushina gritted her teeth. Her grip tightened, her eyes narrowed. The muscles in her back had been so tight for so long that they were cramping. She had hunched her shoulders and her frown was so deep it looked like someone had taken a plow and formed rows on her face. Sweat rolled down her cheeks as her eyes shone in concentration. She took a deep breath and _pulled._

With the sound of a _chink_, the row of symbols in the device froze and she stared, shocked. All of the sudden her face brightened. A grin broke out across her features. "Yatta!" She punched her fist into the air. "I'm rich! Rich I tell you! Take that you cheating, low down slime balls! Uzumaki Kushina shall rule the gambling hall, I tell you! _Rule!"_

Her grin was still shinning bright when she carried her arm full of chips to the cash-in counter. With a proud laugh she dumped in onto the counter table. "Count it up, gambling man. I am rich!"

The man looked out from behind his copy of _Ninja Daily News_and glanced down at the chips. "Rich? Heh. Nah, you just got a thousand yen at most. Sorry Kushina-chan. Better luck next time."

"What!" Kushina gasped. She stared at him in dumbfound shock for a moment, before she reached over the counter, grabbed the newspaper, rolled it into a ball and tossed it off to the side. Kushina reached out and grabbed the man by the collar to pull him forward. "What are you talking about. I checked it out! Each of those is worth—"

"Worth about .02 yen for people from out of town. Don't take it personally, Kushina-chan. You understand; it's just business."

Kushina slowly closed her eyes in realization, before she opened her hand to release the scared desk jockey. She took a deep breath and turned around slowly, leaning back to rest her hip against the counter. The red head crossed her arms over her chest. "Eigo-san, what a surprise." She said dryly. "I didn't think a high and mighty member of the Supreme Council of… ahem… would care about my gambling. But I guess snakes just can't stay under a rock forever. Too bad."

The man in front of her raised an eyebrow. He was taller than her, built, and had a small stomach. His hair was thinning, but he had gelled it and pulled it back into a low pony tail. He was dressed in a nice yukita, something a ninja wouldn't be caught living in except for during festivals or special occasions. A yukita was impractical; it was like trying to fight in a skirt. Kushina eyed the expensive designs embroidered into the silk. Red and green dragons circled his sleeves, up over his shoulders and down his chest. She smiled, except this time in was in mocking disgust.

"Still so vain, Eigo-san? One would think that after a few years you would lose that sense of over importance." She cocked an eyebrow. "Of course, no one anticipated you making the Council of Old Foggies. I guess it just shows the pompous attract the brownnosers." She lifted a red eyebrow, her brown eyes flickering over him. "Judging from your increasingly rattled appearance, you're about to accuse me of being a disruptive influence again. What is it this time?" She smiled. "Could it be Minato-kun's getting under your skin again? You poor baby."

Eigo snorted. "Someday someone's going to break that pretty face of yours, Kushina-chan." He smirked. "And I'm going to be there to laugh at you."

The red head, who had started to turn away, froze. When she turned around, brown eyes were flashing dangerously. "Let me make this clear, Kio. There is _one_man, and only one who gets away with calling me Kushina-chan. And you sure as – aren't him."

"Ah yes, Minato-kun. You're friend and…" He trailed off suggestively. Kushina's lips tightened.

"I don't know about you, but I would watch what I say around me." She said coolly, her tone as sharp as a knife.

It was Eigo's turn to lift his eyebrows. "Defensive? Hm…" Suddenly Kushina found herself shoved up against the desk, his hand wrapped around her neck. "Don't forget your place. You still owe this gambling house a good deal. If you would just stop defending that Namikaze so much, you just might find a couple hundred thousand knocked off your debt. All you have to do is stop backing him so much. Maybe start a rumor or two. Simple stuff. Just take that blond thorn out of my side and you won't have to take so many dangerous and… risky jobs to pay off your debt."

Kushina broke his grip. "Keep dreaming. You know as well as I do that if you ever paid me the right amount of money for my winnings _you_ would be the one in _my_ debt. Don't think that just because you're a council member and I'm a foreigner you'll be able to screw me over forever. If I were you," She glanced down at the embroidered dragons. "I'd watch my back." She patted him on the shoulder with a cold-eyed smile.

After that, with a smirk and raised eyebrows, she pushed past him and made her way to the door, her chips still on the counter behind her. Eigo glared after her.

"Ahem…" The desk tender coughed nervously.

"What!" The Elder snarled. With a timid finger the man behind the counter pointed down at Eigo's sleeve. The heavy man frowned in confusion before glancing down, only to gasp in shock and surprise. His new, expensive silk and embroidered yukita was on fire, the dragons lighted in a royal blaze. When he tore off the robe, he saw the kanji clearly on the back: _Told you. _

With a grimace he threw away the garment. "Hiro. Send out the order for Uzumaki Kushina's apartment to be seized, effective immediately. She'll find out what happens when she doesn't follow orders."

* * *

Sai glanced up at the sun. "Eh? So late all ready? He'll be back now. Shall we go see him?"

Itachi, who had sat still and silent while watching the older boy paint, glanced up at him. "Who is he?"

"Who? Naoki?" Sai asked. He smiled when Itachi nodded. _Curiosity. That's a good sign._"He's our leader. He's also the most impulsive, dense, stupid and foolhardy person you'll ever meet. He's also the bravest, kindest, and strongest. He has more guts than anyone I've ever met, and I've never seen him run from a challenge. He's a guy worth being loyal to." Sai reached out a hand to ruffle the young Uchiha's hair. Itachi drew back from the stranger's hand, his eyes crossing as he tried to focus in on it. "I know you don't understand what I'm saying. But believe me - you will!"

With a "hup!" The painter picked up his tools and handed them over to the boy. Then he picked up the child, startling the Uchiha genius.

"What are you doing." Itachi deadpanned, the slight widening of his eyes the only sign of his disconcertion (not actually a word. :P maybe 'wariness'?). Sai didn't answer, but started down the hill towards the Caravan. The sooner he and Naruto got this resolved, the sooner he could paint in the comfort of the wagon without Sakura yelling at him every ten minutes.

Itachi sat on Sai's shoulders, his keen eyes taking in everything from this height. "Is this typical behavior for a civilian?"

"Hm? Aa, well actually it's typical behavior for siblings and parents too. And friends."

"Friends." Itachi repeated cautiously, testing the word on his tongue.

"Hai, do you know what those are?" Sai ducked under a tree branch, his hand tightening on Itachi's knee as he kept him on his shoulders. Itachi shrugged, shifting his hold on the painting supplies.

"Friend: a person one knows, likes and trusts. A person with whom one is allied in a struggle or conflict." Itachi quoted. Sai felt a vague sense of déjà vu, but shrugged it off.

"That's right. Do you have many friends, Itachi-kun?" The boy didn't answer, which Sai supposed was an answer in and of itself.

* * *

When Sai and Itachi got close to the wagon, they immediately noticed something was amiss. Of course, it wasn't hard to overlook, what with Sakura screaming at a Konoha chuunin, her face becoming a startling shade of red. Ino was standing behind her, nodding firmly at every point she made, while Lee looked as if he were trying to fade into the background. He had a noticeable bruise on his face, and Sai wouldn't have been surprised if that wasn't a punishment for fighting. Yes, he knew Lee had been fighting. It would have been hard to miss, after all. Though the change was so minuscule that a Kage wouldn't have noticed it, even Lee's chakra fluctuated when he was in a fight.

However, not even Lee's battle could have gotten Sakura that agitated. He hadn't seen her this furious since he called her a… well, never mind. The point was she rarely got this angry. That Ino was apparently agreeing with her confirmed his suspicions. He set the even stiller and colder Itachi on the ground. Itachi's face had become dead and hardened, and Sai suddenly got a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach. He smiled a fake smile at the boy and hoped Itachi was emotionally stunted so as not to differentiate his smiles.

Itachi watched him unresponsively as he walked towards the irate Sakura. _Sheesh, the kid gives me the creeps._ Then he thought, _was I like that?_

When he got closer he finally managed to make out Sakura's words, which was quite a feat since he was 400 meters away and against the wind. "—_What do you mean we cheated! Those prices are reasonable! You think you can just walk in here and demand we give you them for free! Who do you think you are? Just because you have some shiny new green vest, you think we all have to bow down and obey you, like you're the new demi-god of the civilian world! You think I'm going to stand back and let you—"_

"Haruko-chan!" Sai called out. The group turned to look at them, and the chuunins did a double take when they noticed the small boy trailing the dark-haired teen. The younger one blinked several times, especially when he noticed the box of paints the four-year-old was hauling. Uchiha's did not _haul_things around. It wasn't done, and especially not the Uchiha Heir.

"Taro!" Sakura bit out. "I thought you were painting."

"I was." Sai answered, taking his paint case from Itachi, and after ruffling a hand through Itachi's locks (which resulted in shocked, dumbfounded and nigh scandalized looks from the jounin and a quizzical look from Itachi) he walked over to the pink-capped girl. "However, I met the most intriguing person and decided he should meet Naoki. Then, I happened to come back and find you and Ino in a heated discussion with two men. Care to explain, gentlemen?"

Sai shot them a friendly smile which was gainsaid by the dangerous aura that poured off him. So what if Sakura and Ino would lecture him about going into big brother mode. No one upset _his_girls. No one except for him, Naruto and Kakashi of course, but that was a completely different story. Sakura laid a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Yamada. They were just… leaving." She leveled a glare at them. "Right boys?"

The two men didn't look as if they were going to back down. Instead they shifted their weight forwards, an intimidation method that made them look stronger and darker. Sai knew it well. He and Naruto had used it many times when they needed information and their… client… wasn't cooperating. So, he shifted his weight forward too. Vaguely he was aware of Lee coming out of the wood work, apparently feeling comfortable enough to face Sakura's wrath.

"Hey! Is there a problem?" Naruto's voice broke the tension. Abruptly both Sai and Lee relaxed their stances, while Sakura and Ino allowed themselves to release a less… confrontational aura. The chuunins would have to have been blind, deaf, and chakra-deprived not to notice the attitude adjustment in their 'opponents.' The older chuunin aimed a glare at Sakura, who responded by tilting her chin up and looking down her nose at him.

Naruto stepped in front of the group. "I said: Is there a problem?"

"No." Bit out the older chuunin. He cast a resentful glance at the Caravan. "We were just leaving. Come on Kiomi."

The younger, and obviously more inexperienced chuunin opened his mouth to protest but the first man grabbed him by the arm and dragged him away. When the duo was lost in the crowd, Naruto turned around. "Anyone care to explain to me what the – just happened here?"

Sai lifted up his hands in a declaration of amnesty. "Hey, Naoki, I just got here. I confess to leaving to paint, and only to that."

"Lee." Naruto bit out.

Lee's eyes shifted to the left for a second, before meeting Naruto's baby blue and crimson red eyes head on. "Gomenasai, Nar-Naoki-kun. I lost my temper earlier today and engaged in a spar with the young Hatake Kakashi. However, I do not believe that this was the cause of the current aggression."

"Sakura?"

The girl sighed. "They decided they had a right to whatever they wanted. I was simply correcting them."

"Yeah, well your _corrections_were audible all the way down the street." The teammates exchanged glares, sparks flying between their eyes. Finally Sakura backed down, lowering her head in difference. Naruto gave a nod of thanks, before glancing over at Itachi, who still stood behind Sai. He did a double take. The blond blinked twice, glanced at Sai's carefully blank face, swallowed, opened his mouth to speak, shut it twice, then blinked again. "Taro, if you don't mind, who is that with you?"

Finally Itachi moved. "I thought you said your name was Sai."

Sai glanced down at him, pleased that no one tensed as they heard of his potentially disastrous blunder. "Sai is a nickname. My real name is Yamada Taro."

Itachi leaned his head to the side. "Nickname?"

"Aa!" Sai answered. "It is a name given to you as a pseudonym for your real name. Except that everyone still knows what your real name is."

"Then what is the purpose of this nickname. It is impractical and useless." Itachi answered dully.

Sai smiled. "It strengthens the bonds of friendship."

Sai smiled.

Itachi blinked.

Lee beamed.

Ino, Sakura, and Naruto wondered how they ended up with these maniacs.

* * *

"So… Sai tells me you want to understand what it's like to be human." Naruto tucked one hand into his jeans pocket and used the other to tighten the collar on his hoodie.

"That is correct." Itachi answered.

Naruto glanced at him, a funny look that appeared to be a mix of skepticism, doubt, and intrigue plastered onto his face. "Well, I guess the real question is… _why?_"

He didn't wait for the boy to answer, but walked forwards to lean again a nearby swing set. They had taken a walk away from the wagon, Naruto deciding that privacy was best. They were now in the middle of an abandoned playground, most of the children in school or at home. As he waited for the four-year-old to answer, fully expecting the genius to know and understand his reasons, he reached up a hand to rub it against the bright red bars that made up the swing set. He had played here as a child, before the Hokage had moved him to his apartment. The orphanage wouldn't be founded yet, as half the adult population of Kohoha hadn't been killed off by the Kyuubi. Not yet, anyway, and if Naruto had his way, not ever.

"Have you ever observed a Clan, Naoki-san." Itachi's childish voice was structured, his words formal. His tone bland. "We have rules and regulations for every aspect of our lives. I am proud of my clan, but I tire of having the same symbol printed on every article of clothing, painted on every wall, depicted in every story. My clan claims to be the strongest, but I can already defeat most of the genins. Hundreds have not even activated the Kakkai Genkai that our family is so proud of, and those that do shame us with a history of early deaths and near suicides. My clan is weak. Not only that, but…"

Naruto had stilled when Itachi had begun to rant. His hands supported is (his) weight as he hung from the upper bar of the swing set. He had paid the child close attention, his keen ears hearing the minute warbles and rises that were signs of the rising tension that piled in the small body. However, when Itachi trailed off, Naruto finally turned around.

"But…" He prompted gently, sharp blue eyes focused on the small figure. Itachi stood still, his eyes focused intently at the ground before him, the slight twist of skin between his forehead labeling his expression quizzical. For a second Naruto's breath caught in his throat, because Itachi looked so much like his brother. He bit back the pain that rose in his chest at the thought of his first friend and concentrated on the boy in front of him. "But… what?" Naruto asked again.

Itachi slowly looked up, his head turning to the side in a way that disturbingly reminded Naruto of a raptor eyeing its prey. "But… when I exit the Clan walls I see the civilian families in parks such as this. The fathers…They want their children because they're children, not because they are the next lethal weapon." Itachi swallowed.

Naruto didn't know what prompted him to move. For Pete's sake, this was _Itachi_. Sasuke's worst enemy and rival, Naruto's worst nightmare. But he found himself kneeling in the sand, holding the quivering kid and couldn't help but think:

_It's official. We've teleported into the Twilight Zone._

"Believe it or not, Itachi." Naruto said once the boy started to calm down. "Sai and I know a lot more than we should about these things."

Itachi leaned back, not pulling out of the blond's arms, but rather trying to see his face. "You do?"

Was it sad for a four-year-old to sound so hopeful over something like this? _Oh – yeah. _Naruto brushed a lock of the boy's hair out of his face. "I was the village pariah. The complete opposite of your situation. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but the Uchiha clan is somewhat considered a… God's gift to the poor pathetic people who make up the rest of the world, yeah?"

Itachi blinked furiously. Naruto began contemplating it as a stress reaction. "I've never heard it put that way before." The Uchiha answered honestly.

Naruto cocked an eyebrow and chuckled dryly. "Heh, well you don't listen too well." Itachi actually glared at him for that one. An Uchiha? Not listening? Preposterous!

A snigger drew his attention back to the blond. "I bet you just thought a lot of Uchiha-is-supreme trash." When Itachi nodded reluctantly, Naoki gave out a grin that nearly blinded him. "See, that's what I'm talking about! You've swallowed that superior crap like candy!"

Itachi frowned. "But is it not true that an Uchiha has a higher success rate? Is it not certain that an Uchiha takes more dangerous missions than any other?"

"Yeah, yeah. They also have the highest rate for insanity, suicide, emo-ness…" Naruto listed them off nonchalantly as Itachi's face fell into a sulk. The blond smirked. "… and have I mentioned their incredible superiority complex. Honestly, Itachi-kun! I'm amazed you haven't gone insane. On the other hand, you're four years old and use better grammar and reasoning than I do."

"Just the fate of a boy genius." Itachi shot back sardonically. The next second his eyes flew open in shock while Naruto began laughing hysterically.

"Atta boy!" The Sorta-Hokage gasped out between heaving bursts of laughter. "Show me that wit!"

Itachi rolled his eyes, his nose and cheeks flushed red. He looked away, but couldn't stop the small smile that tugged at his lips.

Naruto's hysterics calmed down and he settled down to think. When Sai had more or less shoved him into this new task Naruto rapidly tried to come up with a plan. Itachi had always been connected to power. It was what he had been raised to pursue. No child entered ANBU at the age of thirteen and became a captain without serious pushing from his parents, superiors, or comrades. Maybe from all three. While Itachi _was_the most incredible genius to happen to Konoha since the discovery of ramen, no one could suppress their emotions to such a point without intense conditioning.

However, Itachi was a genius. Naruto had read his file, and knew that even without the Sharingan Itachi was gifted with taking apart techniques and learning them. His keen mind picked things up instantly, gathering the small details that were essential for a jutsu to work easily. He could find flaws in taijutsu simply by comparing it to what he knew a body should do. Genjutsu was the area he excelled more than any other in Naruto's time, but that wasn't that surprising, what with the Mangekyou Sharingan and all. Before killing Shisui, Itachi had been pretty balanced. Well, balanced in the excels-in-every-thing-beyond-compare sort of way.

The video recording of Itachi's chuunin exam had filled Naruto with a mixture of awe and fear. Awe that someone could be so good at ten. Fear that he was going to have to face this man on the battle field.

What had always alarmed Naruto the most when researching Itachi, fighting with Itachi, and talking with Itachi between battles, was the fact Itachi's facial expressions never changed. Never. He never showed amusement, anger, irritation, fear, or hurt. Once Sai had gotten a lucky blow, his sword slicing into the traitor's shoulder cutting through muscle and bone. Itachi hadn't even flinched.

It had been then that Sakura had concluded Itachi was no longer human.

"_No one can be that dead inside." She insisted as they hid in the darkness. Akatsuki's minions were searching for them, Itachi having been recalled to take care of more 'pressing' matters. Team Seven didn't know whether to be relieved or insulted. "No one can kill their emotions that much and still be human. He's a machine."_

Naruto hadn't replied, choosing to stay silent instead. He didn't agree. There had been one difference he had observed in Itachi's face, four years before. Itachi's face when he had seen his brother was different than that marble of stone they were always fighting against. There was no denying that Itachi had shown emotion. Scorn, perhaps. Derision too. Itachi had smiled, but it was a cruel smile as he shoved a fist into his brother's gut and proceeded to cut down any confidence left in the broken boy.

To Naruto, Itachi was a broken man twisted and turned into nightmare.

But this boy…

This boy who tried to hide his smile, who started at touches of affection, who stared longingly after other children. This boy was human. This boy, still had a chance.

* * *

Kakashi was still sulking. _Honestly,_Katashi thought to himself,_how did people keep from killing me so long. On second thought… I always wondered why the Iwa-nin always targeted me. Maybe someone took out a hit order. _It would explain a lot. After all, being in a war was no reason to get attacked in every battle!

The younger Kakashi glanced at him from the corner of his eye, only to be caught, and turn away with an even greater storm over his head while Kakashi-senior thanked whoever had been watching out for him that he hadn't died before the age of thirteen. "You know, your families shame doesn't have to carry over to you."

As Kakashi's head jerked up, Katashi knew he had to tread carefully. He had no delusions about himself - self-delusions got people killed – and he knew his younger self was in a fragile state. His father, Hatake Sakumo had been Kakashi's greatest hero. In the young boy's mind his father could do no wrong. Not even Sakumo's humiliation shamed his son. Only his suicide had broken Kakashi's tinted glasses. The betrayal had been the worst. Suddenly Kakashi had no shield from the harshness of the world, from the cruelty of humans. Kakashi found himself left out in the cold as he suddenly became the shame of the village.

As a shinobi he was trained to hear the softest of whispers, the slightest changes in expression, the smallest of hesitations in people's mannerisms. And notice them he did.

"_There's Hatake Kakashi!"_

"_The one who's father…?"_

"_Yeah! I heard he couldn't take his shame and committed seppuku."_

"I_ heard it was because he went to retrieve his companions instead of carrying through with the mission. He's the reason we're in this blasted—"_

"_Shh! He'll hear you!"_

"_Who cares if he does! He should learn from his father's disgrace! What kind of a ninja abandons his mission to save his teammates?"_

Soon all the adoration that Kakashi held for his father turned into a burden. It weighed him down, and as people watched him from behind accusing eyes he swore to remove the stain of humiliation from his family. Obito saying his father was a hero was a balm on his wounded heart. His saying that those who abandoned their companions were worse than trash felt as if for once someone was excusing his dad. After all, so many shinobi would choose their companion over their mission. Why should Sakumo be any different? And Obito didn't make any excuses for the Hatake Head's death. He didn't offer Kakashi platitudes. He didn't tell him that Sakumo had regained his honor and Kakashi should be happy for him. He didn't mention it at all.

Yet, the older Kakashi knew that it was because it was Obito, and Obito alone that his younger self had believed it. For one, Obito had been a shinobi, no matter how abyssal. For another, no matter how much Kakashi put him down, Obito had been his friend. And Obito would never say anything out of false sincerity or duty, like Kakashi had always felt the other people, even Minato-sensei and Jiraiya-sama, do.

Hearing it from a complete stranger, from a civilian, and from a non-factor would only turn Kakashi against the words of Obito later in life. So he said nothing about robots in shinobi's clothing, or of dead fathers who weren't really as big as a shame as the village made them. Instead he only said, "Think about it." And got up.

"If you ever need to rant, be teased, or whatever, you know where to find me!" Katashi grinned. "Not that I won't be dropping by to annoy you as well."

Kakashi growled at Katashi's retreating back. Then he rolled his eyes and turned away, so he didn't see Katashi freeze. "Appreciate your team. You never know when it'll be gone."

Kakashi's brow furrowed and he swung around, only to see nothing but the crowd. Katashi was gone.

* * *

Kushina grumbled as she sat on the hard wood bench, what was left of her worldly possessions gathered around her feet. "That (omitted) (beep) (omitted) of a (omitted) man! Can't even take a joke without throwing a girl onto the streets. I am so going to dye him green tomorrow. After I find a -- place to say. What is with all these fair weather friends of mine? Mikoto can't. She's got Itachi. Kyoko lives in a one room flat, so that was definitely a no. Tsunade…" Kushina's face became contemplative for a moment, before she rolled her eyes and shook her head. "No way. That's a dead end if I ever heard one." Exasperated she flung her hands into the air. "And everyone else I know are guys! Can a girl get a break?"

With a sigh she rested her chin on her hand. Her eyes dully looked out to the street. Hotels were far too expensive. Most of her paycheck had gone to Eigo-teme, as payment for her own apartment. Highway robbery? Definitely. But she was 'outsider,' and he was a councilman, which meant he would win any court case. In summary: No money for new apartment. Twisting at the waist she turned to bang her head against the backrest. "You just had to go anger your landlord, right Kushina? You just couldn't keep your mouth shut."

"You know, talking to yourself is a sign of insanity." A cheerful voice broke into her wonderfully gloomy world. Slowly she raised her eyes to glare at the intruder.

He stood over her, his hands tucked into his leather jacket, his orange shirt peeping over the zipper. His black, baggy jeans covered the tops of his tennis shoes. His blond hair was tied back by a black bandanna across his forehead, which only accentuated the startling bright blue of his eyes. She was a little startled to notice small flecks of crimson branching out from his pupil through the iris. As she stared at him, he lifted an eyebrow, smirked and quipped, "What are you staring at? Never seen a good-looking guy before?"

On his part, Naruto had just seen a damsel in distress and decided to check it out.

Kushina flushed, not only because what he said hit a mark (he _was _cute) but because it sounded like something she would say. "No need to get pertinent, brat. You're the one bursting in where you aren't wanted."

"Well, I couldn't let a beautiful lady like you sit here in such a picture of depression." He answered. Kushina rolled her eyes.

"First of all, I ain't no lady, got that? Second, what are you a chauvinist? Just 'cus I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't take care of myself."

Now it was the boy's turn to sigh and roll his eyes. "Maa, Maa. A guy can't do a good deed anymore without having his head snapped off. I wasn't insulting you, Your Ladyship of Crabbiness."

"Hey!" Kushina protested. "I'm not crabby, I'm PMS'ing."

The boy blanched. "Lady, please! There are things that no one in the world wants to know!" He shook his head firmly, as if trying to dislodge what he just heard from his memory banks. "Have some discretion, for your womanly pride at the least!"

Kushina just laughed. "You are so easy! Really! Were you born yesterday and somehow aged sixteen years overnight. You're naïve enough!"

"Ho, ho, ho!" Naruto returned sarcastically, holding his stomach. "You're a riot, but don't quit your day job!"

Kushina snorted. "What job?"

"Hey, aren't you a ninja? What do you mean, what job?"

Kushina glanced at him. "Kid, trust me on this. It's a long and boring story. However, the result is this: I'm out of house and home." Kushina gestured around her, her voiced and gestures filled with mocking cheer. Naruto frowned.

"No offense, but it sounds as if you expected this."

Kushina glanced up at him, her sharp brown eyes meeting his sharply. "You know, for a gaki you're really sharp."

"Hey! I'm probably as old as you are, baabaa!" He yelled, waving an animated fist. "And quit changing the subject!"

"Baabaa!" Kushina growled, pulling him into a headlock. "I'll show you Baabaa!"

* * *

An hour later found them slurping on ice cream, the white ice cold desert dripping down their chins as the warm summer sun beat down upon them. "So, long story short," Naruto said, tipping his head back so as to lick a drop of ice cream off the cone. "You came here when you were fourteen, and got conned by a Council person for money and a home. In exchange, you have to do his dirty work until the debt's paid, except he's sabotaging you so you can't pay him off."

"That pretty much covers it." Kushina answered. She waved the cone around carelessly to emphasize her words. "I wouldn't even mind doing the 'dirty work', except he's trying to get me to spy on one of my friends. He wants me to get some dirt on Mi—him and if that fails, make some." She snorted. "The Uzumaki Clan may be many things, but backstabbers and fair weather friends we ain't!"

Naruto flinched. "Uzumaki?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I never introduced myself. Uzumaki Kushina at your service." Kushina gave an extravagant bow, equipped with a looping hand wave. Naruto hid his shock behind teasing comments and laughter. Somehow, in a surreal way, he had always assumed he would know his mom the minute he saw her. That there would be some mysterious connection, and he would immediately know this was the woman who gave him birth. However, he had been walking and talking with this girl for over an hour now, and he hadn't realized a thing. Honestly, how many women had the name Kushina anyway?

However, as he walked and talked with her, shooting off his mouth and getting his hide tanned by the metaphorical fire coming out of her mouth, he knew she was everything he had imagined. When he happened to mention he never knew his parents, she had gently put an arm around his shoulder and told him that he's a man now, but that doesn't mean it can't hurt.

She offere to be a surrogate sister and he laughed at the irony. She stoped once or twice to help out one of those unfortunates who begged on the corners, even if this was a shinobi village which supposedly wasn't supposed to have beggars. That was complete bull, if you asked Naruto. The people in a shinobi village could be just as prejudiced and judgmental as anyone else, and every family had their reprobates.

The son and unknowing mother traded stories about people they knew. Naruto told her about his pranks and she gave him hints. They talked about their friends and Naruto found himself spilling almost everything about Sasuke. Naturally he removed the parts of Orochimaru, sound-nin, and ninja in general, but he gave her the gist of it. "If you could go back in time and change something, what would you change?" Naruto asked her.

Kushina grew thoughtful, placing a finger on her chin. "Hmm… If I could change anything." Kushina grinned. "Nothing."

"Huh?" Naruto said blankly. _Nothing? What the…_

Kushina tipped his head back with a finger under his chin. "Everything in life, Naoki, the good and the bad changes you. How you deal with it defines you. I miss my clan, my village and my freedom, but how I deal with these trials shows my character. Do I wish I could somehow save my dead friends, keep certain… embarrassing… moments from happening? Oh yeah. But I won't disgrace my friends by saying I could save them now when I couldn't before. I might even make it worse. And I like who I am. Those embarrassing moments provided turning points in my life. So, I wouldn't change anything."

Naruto stared at her. "That has to be one of the most twisted and confusing things I've ever heard."

Kushina laughed. "Yeah, maybe." Then she glanced at him, the twinkle in her eye promising mischief. "Hey, you wanna go with me to get some revenge on the pompous Council --?"

Naruto slowly grinned, his fanged teeth thrown into sharp contrast. "You bet."

As the two Uzumakis made their way to the Councilman's house, Naruto knew the -- would never know what hit him.

* * *

TBC…

Well! You guys know the drill. Comments, critics, advice: press the purple button! Itachi is so hard to write! Honestly - I felt like just deleting him or killing him off at least twice!

Special thanks goes to my Beta, who abliged to do a rush job on this in order to get it to you guys by Friday.


	9. End of One Stage

Chapter Nine

It was exactly when the moon reached it's zenith that the village awoke. It wasn't voluntary by any means. Rather, their wake up call came in the sound of horns, whistles and screams as the house of Council Elder Eigo's home erupted into light, music and chaos. Pipes burst, paint balloons were released and the dear home owners were forced to notice the conspicuous absence of any and all clothing. Their walls were defaced with propaganda for rival gambling house owners and political enemies. Their lights erupted into miniature suns, having been mysteriously replaced with high wattage street lights sometime after the household had gone to bed. Loud music burst from several conveniently placed stereos, playing young and upcoming hard rock.

Ice cold water rained down on the occupants. The household rushed around, trying to get out of the nightmare. And so it was that the dignified house of Councilman Samana Eigo stood outside in their pajamas and underclothing. Those who slept in the buff stood shivering, trying to hide their nakedness behind soaked sheets. Shinobi arrived soon after, members of the Council Protection Squadron landing around the family. Two of the ninja began handing out blankets, while another five entered the building to turn off the water and the confounding racket. Villagers gathered around, witnessing the utter humiliation of Samana Eigo as he stood shivering in a sheet. It would be false to say that there was not a grin or wink exchanged by the observers.

In the shadows, two figures exchanged high-fives in celebration of a prank well done. They probably wouldn't even find the Nair in the shampoo until they all took a nice, long shower.

--

Naruto was awoken by the curtain being pulled back from the wagon, shining the bright noon sun onto his face. "Argh!" He yelled, shielding his keen eyes from the sunlight. "Sakura what're you doing?"

"I could be asking you the same thing!" Sakura yelled right back. "What were you thinking, pranking a village elder like that!"

"I was thinking he deserved it!" Naruto shouted angrily, throwing back the covers and leaping to his feet. The teammates stalked towards each other.

Sakura thumped him over the head. "Well guess what, genius? Your revenge might get us kicked out of Konoha! Were you thinking about that?"

"Yeah, well, what was I supposed to do! The guy threw a woman out of her house! Besides," He grinned cockily. "They'll never trace it back to me."

"You can't know that!" Sakura exclaimed, exasperated. "You know what? I've had it up to here with you!" She made a fast slice over her head.

"Well right back at ya!" Naruto growled.

"Fine!"

"_Fine_!"

And with that they jumped off the wagon, slammed the sides with their fists in unison, and marched off. Kakashi and Sai watched them leave from a distance.

"Well…" Kakashi said blankly from where he had buried his head under his pillow. "That went well."

--

Kushina was woken up by a rather loud pounding on her cheap hotel door. However, unlike her partner in crime she didn't have the luxury of a noontime waking. Instead it was at five in the morning, far too soon after going to bed at one. "Uzumaki Kushina, open this door right now!"

With a groan the red head pulled her head from under the pillow. "mm… Go way Namikaze!"

"No!" His angry voice resounded through the thin door. "Do you want to get yourself in more trouble?"

Kushina opened the door so quickly it banged against the wall loudly. "That's a laugh!" She glared at him. "How did you find me anyway?"

"Now you're the one who's joking!" Minato scoffed. "You think just cause you left your apartment for some reason I wouldn't find you? Ho ho ho! Your regard for me is flattering!"

"Oh aren't you a prime example of a bloated ego! I didn't leave because of you, you stuck up selfish, sorry excuse for a man!" Kushina went to slam the door, only to Minato to catch it mid swing.

"What did you just say to me?" Minato asked, glaring at her.

"You heard me!" She reached over to slam her door, only to be thwarted again.

"Yeah, I heard you." Minato growled, hurt. "And you know what? You are the most –y melodramatic and overblown woman who has _ever_ cursed this village."

Kushina stared at him, hurt, as he turned away and marched down the dirty hall. Her face twisted in anger and in a fit of rage she picked up a shoe and hurled it at him. It hit him strait on the back of his head, and he spun around infuriated. "Oh now you've done it!"

"Yeah, get out of here!" Kushina yelled at him.

Minato marched up, ready to force feed her a piece of his mind, when the land lord stuck his head out of his room. "Shut up! It's five frickin' in the morning! Some people are trying to get some sleep here!"

"Shut up you old --!" The angry couple chorused. The man slammed the door, offended.

Kushina turned back to her angry friend. "Listen Namikaze, kazekami, kamikaze or whatever, I don't need you butting into my business. Okay?"

"Your business?" Minato said, exasperated. "It ceases to be your business when I have his royal high horse Eigo knocking on my door at _three_ this morning telling me that if I don't control, and I quote, "my –" then you will be out with the door slamming on your heels by sundown!"

"He called me a what!" Kushina raged. "That's nice of him, considering that he already kicked me out of my apartme…"

Kushina winced as Minato's face darkened. "Kicked you out of where? Your apartment? Is that it?"

"Look Minato, it's none of your business."

"Oh it is my business." Minato interjected. "Now what's this about him kicking you out?"

And so Kushina resigned herself to a day of keeping a certain blond out of her business.

--

Itachi knelt before the Head of his Clan, his head up in false pride, his gaze fixed on the wall behind his father's head. The Uchiha Symbol stared back at him, it's red and blue sides a blatant reminder of his heritage. His cursed heritage.

"Itachi." His father's deep rumbling voice rolled over him, drawing him back to the man's deep set eyes. If Itachi were capable of judging beauty, he would have said his father was a dignified man. He was powerful, his muscles rippling under the thick robe he wore at home. His eyes, deep and fathomless, flashed under heavy brows. Fugaku's mouth was turned down at the corners after a lifetime of hard decisions. The frown lines in his forehead were already indented permanently, as Itachi well knew. Fugaku had been a handsome man when he was young, but the years had matured his beauty into something more dignified and refined.

As Fukagu frowned at his son, Itachi kept his face carefully blank. "Two of the guards reported you spending time with the Caravan. What were you doing there?"

Itachi didn't hesitate in answering. "I was gathering information."

"I see." Fukagu responded after a moment. He had no reason to doubt his son, as Itachi had been the perfect son and tool for years, never telling any lies except for those the Head had ordered. However, something in the face of his spies had alerted him to an anomaly in Itachi's behavior. When pressed, the chuunin had finally admitted that Itachi had been acting… almost like a normal child. But that was 

preposterous. Itachi was not some village brat who wildly let his emotions drag him wherever they will. He was better than that. "And what did you discover?"

Itachi's face didn't change or flicker, and Fugaku felt himself relax slightly. "The caravan members are friends, most likely working together for years. I suspect several of them have had tussles. There is underlining sadness. However, I deem they aren't a threat, nor will they be a hindrance to any Clan dealings. Their merchandise is good quality, and they expect to begin selling iron and steel tools soon. I would recommend engaging in trade." Itachi fell silent.

"Is that all?" Fukagu asked, except this time his voice was displeased.

"Aa." Itachi answered.

"You mean to tell me that in the six hours you spent with them this was all you discovered?"

Itachi tipped his head to the left slightly in a way not unlike a cat observing its prey, his keen eyes piercing as he stared his father down. Despite the sudden awareness in his eyes, his face remained blank, dull and lifeless. The Uchiha Head felt a shudder run down his back and was suddenly reminded that though Itachi was a weapon, he was also human. And humans were unpredictable. Itachi kept his gaze on Fugaku for what seemed like hours, before tilting his head back into the upright position. "Aa. That is all."

Fugaku felt inexplicable relief when Itachi returned to normal, so after ordering his son to gather all information possible about the outsiders, he nodded to Itachi in dismissal and tried to ignore the feeling that he had just taken a test – and failed.

--

Naruto was sitting on the Third's head, his normal sitting place dislodged by the fact the Yondaime hadn't been selected yet, overlooking the village with a sharp eye. One knee was pulled up to his chest, the other hung over the Third's forehead. His brown arms were wrapped around the drawn up leg. His trench coat, the long black one with the orange flames along the bottom, was draped over his shoulders like a royal cloak. The orange flames were spread out behind him like the train of a king. His eyes were slit more than usual as he watched the bustling village below. Red streaked through the blue iris' like ribbons of crimson. The sun broke through the clouds, lighting his hair into a golden halo. It's warm beams lit up long eyelashes and made the blue of his eyes translucent.

Naruto didn't flinch when the sun landed right on his face. He didn't look away or even blink. Instead he stared directly at the sun, daring it to try and make him blind, all the while knowing it was unfair because there was no way Kyuubi would have a damaged container. When he lowered his gaze back to the village below, he didn't even see spots. The red and green rooftops were so familiar yet so foreign. Eagle eyes, or rather, fox eyes, picked out familiar profiles that were a good ten to twenty years younger than the last time he had seen them, depending on when they had died. He spotted Tsunade once, and 

it nearly made his heart stop. She was walking with a tall man, whose long grey hair made him recognizable despite never having met him in person.

Tsunade's fiancé, Dan. So he was too late to save her brother. That was okay – he didn't even know her brother had died. It made him sad to know that he couldn't spare his ba-baa that pain. Jiraiya was probably peeking into the girl's bath right now. He wondered, if Dan never died, if Jiraiya would ever tell Tsunade how much he loved her. Probably not. Even Jiraiya, dense as he was, had seen how happy Tsunade had been with Dan.

Somehow he had to keep Dan from receiving the First's necklace, however. Once he put that on, there was no saving him.

Naruto sighed and leaned back to rest on his elbows. "Are you just going to stand there all day, Itachi-kun?"

"How did you know I was here?" Itachi asked, curiosity the predominate emotion in his eyes. It warmed Naruto to see it.

"_Weeelll_… you see I met this old fortune teller and she was like, 'a young robot will find his way to you.' I was, you know, kind of hoped to meet my first tin man, but since this is Konoha I assumed it must be you." His explanation was complete and utter bull, of course, but Itachi didn't need to know that. Of course, judging by the skeptical look Itachi shot him, it was a lost cause. However, no one ever accused Itachi of being dense, and he let it drop.

Naruto patted the ground beside him, inviting the uptight four-year old to sit down. Itachi did so slowly, his eyes lingering on the black trench coat.

"Nice coat." Was all he said. Naruto grinned at him. For that comment alone, Itachi would have won Naruto's eternal friendship. And thus the strangest mentor relationship ever seen in the history of the world was formed.

--

Kushina looked up from her scroll to see Minato staring at her intensely. She sighed and turned back to the paper. "You know, if you keep staring, someone is going to think that you and I are…" She nodded suggestively.

"Are what?" Minato responded.

"You know…" She trailed off. When he continued to look confused she leaned forward. "_Together_."

Namikaze's face screwed into an imitation of a pug. "We're _what!"_

Several heads turned throughout the diner and Kushina quickly lowered her head, blushing. "Will you keep it down! I was just saying that if you keep up with the intense staring thing, the rumor mill will have me _pregnant_ by nightfall!"

If either of the jounins had been watching, they would have noticed an abrupt shift of attention to their table. However, since they were so embroiled in their own discussion, they didn't realize the predicament they were putting themselves into with every passing second.

"Listen," Minato whispered harshly, leaning forwards across the table. "All I want to know is why you are suddenly bunking in a hotel room. I would also like to get a formal apology for the destruction of Elder Eigo's home, but that's not as important right now." His glare turned pointed. "An apology for all the names you've called me today wouldn't hurt either."

"Ha!" She hissed back. "Fat chance, you tawny haired little snippit! If you keep this apology thing up, someone will think we're getting married!"

"Why you…" Minato cut himself off when he noticed the beaming waitress who stood next to their table. "Er… hi… We don't need anything right now…"

"Oh I'm so happy for you!" The girl burst out. "Let me be the first to offer my congratulations!"

She hugged Kushina around the neck, kissed Minato on the cheek, and went off squealing towards the kitchen. Kushina and Minato blinked owlishly after her, wondering what the hill-billy she'd been on, and where could they get some. As several other customers got up to wish them congratulations before heading out the door, Kushina and Minato turned to each other in confusion. Little did they know that the news that the Yellow Flash was having a kid and getting married, to none other than his childhood rival, Uzumaki Kushina, was soon to be spread throughout the whole village.

--

It was funny how things came together, Naruto mused as he corrected Itachi's footing so as to give the boy better balance. No sooner had Itachi sat down with him on the Old Man Hokage's brow line than he asked him point blank what ninja village he had been affiliated with, and would he teach him? Naoki had stared at the boy with his jawbone somewhere down by the Third's chin, before stammering out some denials. Itachi had listed to Naruto for exactly five minutes and forty five seconds before calmly shooting his excuses down with some well placed logical investigations.

"First of all," Itachi had said, his voice monotone. "You knew I was here, even though I placed a low level gen-jutsu on myself. I have advanced shinobi training, and I am a child, meaning I am lighter on my feet and can hide myself more easily. Second, you show the signs of a trained shinobi in your walk. You also scan your surroundings the way our veterans do. You show no surprise to the rules of the shinobi life, nor did you launch into speeches of the inhumanity of raising children to kill. You showed no shock towards my family. Not only this, but you and your companions are using code names."

Naruto blinked a few times.

"Well… when you put it that way."

He told Itachi an abbreviated and heavily edited version of their 'tragic tale.' When he was finished, Itachi moved his head to the side and studied Naruto. Naruto didn't look away. Instead, as he saw the calculation and cunning hidden behind the façade of neutrality, he felt excitement. This was a person he could – would – save. Itachi turned his head upright, and smiled for the first time.

And Naruto felt like he had taken a test – and passed.

Itachi followed Naoki around, but it wasn't the hero worship sort of way Naruto was used to. It was more in a learn what you can as fast as possible sort of way. And it wasn't just ninja arts, which Naruto had already promised to teach him about. It was also about human interactions. Itachi watched from a distance when Naruto bought food, or when Naoki flirted with some of the girls at the counters. He listened as Naruto talked with some of the towns people about different things varying from the war to how crops were this year. When Naruto took him to a playground and saw how parents hustled their kids away because, "he's the Uchiha genius," Naoki promptly bought Itachi some new civilian-esque clothes and it wasn't a problem any more.

Now they were in one of the middle training grounds – far enough away to be discreet, close enough so as not to arouse suspicion. Naruto had told Itachi his village had kept good intel about the Hidden Village of Leaf, Rain, Rock, Sand, and Mist, so as not to surprise him with his knowledge.

"I know more about bloodlines than most people." He said whilst leading Itachi to one of the facilities. It's tall, bushy trees were perfect for hiding from unwanted eyes.

The day started with simple sparing – Naoki asked Itachi to show him what he knew. Then Naruto improved on that, using hard earned lessons of the past to see through the young Uchiha's defenses. He tore down the Clan-encouraged habits, lectured on the strengths and weaknesses of other clans and individual shinobi. He scoffed at the ideals of clan pride, saying that the only pride you should have was in what was built through hard work and the respect of your fellow comrades.

"The problem with the Uchiha Clan," Naruto explained, catching Itachi's fist in the palm of his hand. The child's face was red from exertion, sweat pouring down in buckets. Naruto was kneeling before him, sparing from the balls of his knees so as to be at Itachi's height. "…Is that they assume no one can or should be better than them. Now, eight out of ten times, that's true. The trouble comes in the form of those two who won't bow down to Uchiha supremacy." He blocked a side pivot kick with a lazily lifted arm. "Ironically, many times these are the people most easily underestimated. They are the people you and I would look over and dismiss. Dead lasts, lazy sleepyheads, fan girls."

"Fan girls?" Itachi asked, his face confused before throwing another hit and kick.

Naoki froze in mid block before he caught himself. "You'll understand someday." He cleared his throat uncomfortably before continuing. "What's really sad is that the Uchiha Clan has so much potential – and I'm not talking about that cursed Sharingan you guys are so proud of either. I'm talking about the base character of her members. You guys have a long history of genius' especially before you activate your eyes. Afterwards it's just copy copy copy. No originality, no flavor. The Sharingan users get trapped in their own techniques, and eventually, your gift destroys your mind and turns you psychotic."

"Why?" Itachi asked and caught Naruto by surprise, having expected Itachi to protest.

"Er… it's because your mind can't handle remembering so much, especially the carnage and destruction. Every bad memory is recorded, since, unfortunately, you don't use it to remember the good ones. It causes a meltdown which…" Naruto stopped. "You know what? I'll have Haruko explain it later." He muttered under his breath. "_Much later."_

"Haruko? Why later?" Itachi blinked. "Is she angry at you?"

"_Welll… _let's just say I couldn't leave a damsel in distress alone and leave it at that."

Itachi blinked twice before deciding he didn't want to know. Naruto stood up. "Well, that's enough of that." He stretched. "How good are you at chakra manipulation?"

"I am advanced for my age." Itachi answered. Naruto snorted.

"Isn't that a load of useless information. Most kids your age don't even know what chakra is, much less rationalize it and harness it. In fact, _most_ kids your age are only learning how to talk!" Naoki ruffled Itachi's hair, his grin increasing when the genius didn't pull away. "I know you're advanced for your age. What I want to find out is if you can think on your feet."

--

Neji and Lee were in a face off. Neither side was ready to admit the other had valid points. Neither side was willing to back down. Neji wasn't prepared to apologize, Lee wasn't ready let him off the hook. Chouji was playing referee. Ino and Sakura got the popcorn. Shikamaru declared them all idiots and left to take a nap, conveniently in the wagon which let the others wander away. Naruto was conspicuously MIA, but they assumed that had something to do with the screaming match with Sakura this morning. Typically, these showdowns would end in a fight.

And what a fight it would be. It would simply be impossible for the boys to resolve their differences without speaking through their fists the way Gai had taught them. Their ways of talking were just so different: Lee was filled with the flowery and dramatic flames of youth, and Neji was an ice cold diplomatic… ice berg. It was fire and ice. Yin and yang. Sunshine and Moonlight. Star Wars and When Harry Met Sally.

It was a great surprise to everyone when they entered the field to see Itachi and Naruto facing off. Itachi was showing the signs of ICD – Initial Chakra Depletion – while Naoki actually had a cut here and there. As they watched, Itachi launched himself off the ground and aimed a top kick at the blond's head. Naruto grabbed Itachi's ankle and snatched him out of mid air. Wrapping both hands firmly around the boy's ankle, he spun in a tight circle. When he was going so fast all that could be seen was a colored blur he released the kid. Itachi sailed through the air again.

Itachi flipped and landed on the branch of a tree, his strength at its limit. Glaring at Naruto from his perch parallel to the ground, he placed a hand on the wood and closed his eyes. The sudden surge of chakra lifted the hair on the watchers' eyes. It sent static down their backs and made them shiver.

The tree shivered. Leaves browned, fluttering to the ground. Other leaves burst into bloom as if it were spring. This cycle continued as chakra surged from the tree and was pulled into Itachi filling his chakra banks and refreshing his stamina. Haruko hissed. "He's like a Moloch Horridus."

Katashi blinked a few times before letting out a low whistle.

"Nice trick."

--

_Three Hours Later_

Katashi was strolling along, feeling rather pleased with himself for all the chaos he'd caused today. He'd set Sakura onto Naruto, 'helpfully' advised some customers of competition about some shady business and scams that they may not have been informed of, had annoyed Ino and Shikamaru, gotten Chouji to yell at him after he spoiled a whole hour's worth of meals, and had refereed the Lee/Neji match of the week. Oh yes, he was good. Now he was searching for his favorite victim, because, after all, it wasn't fair that he 'punished' everyone else and didn't punish himself! _Mini-me, here I come._

He was just walking past the new BB-Q when he heard the rumor.

"_Did you hear?_" The lady hissed to her customer, her body quivering in anticipation. Her round, cheery face was lit up with excitement and her hands shook as she bagged the customer's onions and green peppers.

"Hear what?" Her neighbor leaned over, wanting to join in too. Who cared about competition when there was a rumor about after all. Kakashi sure didn't and quickly backtracked to eavesdrop.

By this time there were four women crowded around the vegetable stall, each of them leaning in to get their share of news. The first lady was puffed up with pride, pleased to the one to break the news to them. "It's all over town! In the _Kunai and Kata Café_, you know the small one just around the corner? Well, I heard from the waitress herself, she's my niece and all, and the Yellow Flash and Uzumaki 

Kushina were there – together. And apparently, Kushina is pregnant! Why, my niece was standing right by when she heard Minato mention marriage!"

"What?" One of the younger girls gasped. "No!"

"Yes!" The plump vegetables lady insisted. "Of course it's no surprise. He's been flirting like mad with her for years now."

"Well _I _heard he's been seeing her on the sly." A tall, scrawny woman with a hawk-like face said coyly. "Why, this morning my boys saw them come out of a hotel together."

There was a round of gasps and exclamations. One woman, dressed in stylish clothing, clicked her tongue. "Well, it's no surprise. After all, if she is pregnant and they haven't tied the knot, it means they went bad somewhere along the way."

The younger girl who had gasped before, turned up her nose. "It would be that Uzumaki girl's fault. That little snit came from the middle of nowhere, tagging along at Mina-Namikaze-sama's heals. The poor man was just forced to adopt her."

"She's fiercely independent I hear." The hawk faced lady inserted. "And I needn't mention her delinquent behavior." The women exchanged knowing nods.

"I honestly don't know how a polite man like Namikaze-san ended up with that rug rat!" The stylish woman added. "Every time she opens her mouth it's peppered with inappropriate language. I don't care if she is an orphan from the sticks. A woman should know better."

The women dispersed, no doubt hurrying to carry the latest news elsewhere, while Kakashi pealed an apple he had snatched from one of the vendor's stalls. He frowned as he pealed it, pulling the long red strips from the fruit with a penknife and carrying it to his mouth. This was unexpected. It was doubtful that Sensei and Kushina-chan were actually dating, but the rumors hadn't started until a year before Naruto's conception. Finishing off his apple with a satisfied slurp, Kakashi wandered over the the plump ladies stall and calmly stole all her money from the day. Then he meandered away, pleased with his petty revenge.

No one would slur Minato and Kushina in front on him and get away with it.

--

The days of Shinsei's stay were up, but as far as Hinata could tell, he hadn't made a move to go anywhere. Right now he was stripped to the waist and knee deep in water trying to spear some fish. She had offered to buy a fishing line, but he had stared at her as if she were an alien from Alien vs. Predator, so she figured he didn't want it. He didn't need it either, she acknowledged as she cleaned the three other fish he had caught.

Shinsei had long since given up trying to figure out how she did so many things blind. She had given him some practical advice, such as how to find your way in a dark room, or how to know who a person was even without seeing or hearing them. "It might be good if you ever find yourself in a place you can't use your eyes." Was all she had said.

She probably didn't even need to offer an explanation, as Shinsei drank up everything she said like a dying man taking his last drink. She placed the fish on the fire and walked over to the river bank. "Have you finished, Shinsei?"

"Ile." Shinsei answered. "I hope to have some to salt for when your companions return."

"I see." Hinata answered. "They should be back in a day or two."

Shinsei blinked. "Already?"

The 'blind' woman's laughter pealed out like silver bells. "Shinsei-kun! It's been two weeks and a half already!"

"Oh." The boy looked down. "Do I have to leave?"

Hinata's grin faded into a small smile. "Only if you want to."

Shinsei swallowed and looked up to meet her eyes straight on. "I think I'll stay then."

"Hai." Hinata answered. "Okay, who's turn is it to do the dishes?"

--

Kushina glared at Minato as he trailed her to the meeting room. "Are you ever going to stop following me?"

"Yep."

"Right now?"

"Nope!"

"Minatoooo." Kushina groaned. "Can't you just leave it alone?"

"Leave what alone? I don't think you've told me what's wrong yet."

Kushina scowled and slammed the door to the meeting area open with a bang. It crashed against the wall and would have bounded shut if not for Uzumaki's hand holding it open. Her petite frame quivered as she stomped into the room and flopped into a far away chair surrounded by women. The only open spot was about five chairs away and surrounded by some the largest gossipers in the village – Chouza 

and Inoichi, who were also temporarily not on speaking terms. Minato glanced at the open chair in consternation.

Kushina 2 : Minato 0

--

"Minato – I want you and your team deployed at the border in two days." The Sandaime said solemnly. "I know Obito and Rin are still genin, but we're losing ground rapidly. Your job is to identify the locations of the enemy camps along the river. Mark them on the map and send it back with one of your summons. Observe for change."

Minato nodded. "Hai, Hokage-sama."

"Kushina, Danzo, Kaito and Tairu – the InoChouShi Team has reported a large force moving toward us from south of the river. You all have group attacks, so I want you to lead four squads into battle. I don't want a single Iwa survivor."

"Yippee!" Kushina said sarcastically, picking up her orders. Danzo glared at her reprovingly, but she just ignored him. The old fart was a stuck up idiot anyway. Strange how many of those she knew, wasn't it?

She had worked with her three teammates before, so she threw a smile at Kaito and Tairu. The two jounins waved back. Now that her job had been handed to her, Kushina shifted uncomfortably in her chair. The hands of the clock moved agonizingly slow and her straining ears heard each tick as if it were a gong. As the Sandaime droned on and on, her boot clad foot began tapping a steady rhythm against the floor. _Ta, dada-taada-tadadada-ta._ One of her friends smirked and leaned over. "Metallica?"

"Hey," Kushina whispered back unapologetically. "I'm bored!"

Her friend rolled her eyes and leaned back into her chair. Minato looked away, shaking his head in amusement. The Sandaime finished assigning home patrol duty and closed with a blessing. Kushina bolted out of her chair, the window dead ahead of her and offering so much freedom. Grabbing hold of the window sill, she threw herself through to soar in the air. Kaito and Tairu landed beside her, laughing.

"My, my, Kushi-chan!" Tairu said playfully. "One would think there was a fire! This one hopes you are not becoming claustrophobic. This one would not like to see you sleep in a tent while struggling."

Kaito didn't say anything, but he nudged her playfully. Kushina rolled her eyes. "Oh stop it you two. I'm just trying to get away from the overprotective guard dog I suddenly gained."

Tairu's hazel eyes lit up. "Ah yes! Namikaze-san! This one would like to offer his condolences. This one is sorry you ended up in such a predicament. However, this one is pleased to see that this is the result of years of bickering, instead of other more dire consequences. However, this one wonders why you are 

harried while in your condition. Were this one to decide, you would be staying at home. This one will have to have a talk with Minato-san."

Kushina blinked. "_Okay…_ weird." Sure, it was annoying to have Minato tailing her, but that sure was a bizarre response from Tairu. Shaking off the sudden feeling of foreboding she started in the direction of her hotel room. "Yo, I'm gonna go pack. Meet you at the gate at seven!"

"Hai!"

As Kushina disappeared in a puff of smoke, Tairu turned to tall, dark and silent – also known as Kaito. "Is it not wonderful, this one's friend? Our dear Kushi-chan is having a child – and getting married. However, this one wonders why she has not said anything. This one wonders if this one should be offended. Of course, naturally, that one does not know the news is already spread throughout the village."

Kaito nodded in solemn agreement.

--

Katashi lounged against the telephone pole, his legs crossed. His book was held firmly in his right hand, while his left was tucked in his pocket. He lifted a lazy eye from the lewd pages to squint at the sun. Checking his watch, he looked up to the corner in front of him. If his calculations were correct – and they were always correct – his younger self would be passing this way in five, four, three, two…

_Ah, there he is!_ Katashi thought gleefully. Sure enough, Kakashi-junior rounded the corner at five o' clock sharp. Katashi snapped his version of Icha Icha Make Out shut and bounded over to the boy's side.

"Good afternoon, Salami-san!"

Kakashi jumped, his face paling as he took in the sight of the interloper. Katashi stood leaning over him, his eyes scrunched up in a smile, a pearly white grin beaming down on the smaller boy. _Wait a second…_ Kakashi rapidly backtracked. "How did you get _salami_ out of _Kakashi,_ you _nitwit!_"

"Well…" Katashi began. "It's like this: I was walking down the road of life when I found a single kanji, lying in the middle of nowhere. Not one to leave a poor letter all alone, I picked it up, only to find that it was—"

"Shut up!" Kakashi yelled. "I don't have time for this! I have a mission! _Mission_! And I don't care how you got Salami. My name is Kakashi! Ka-ka-shi! Now I have to go – goodbye!"

He dashed away, only to find himself running on air as the annoying-being-who-should-have-never-been-born lifted him into the air by the back of his shirt. "Whoa, there tiger! Not so fast!" He dumped Kakashi into a pile on the road. "You know, if you keep that stress level up so high, you'll be gray before you're twenty!... wait… You already are grey! Now when did that happen, I wonder!"

_Oh great, _Kakashi thought to himself from where his head was planted in the dirt. _Not only is he a lazy, pervy idiot, he's a lazy, pervy _scatterbrained _idiot. Why oh why can't I attract the attention of someone _useful_ every once in a while? I'm not asking for much here! Hello? Anyone listening?_

Katashi knelt down beside him. "Why Kalamafi - what are you doing on the ground? If you're not careful you'll get your face dirty!"

Kakashi didn't think he'd ever been so thankful for a mission.

Ever.

--

Itachi landed another kick on Naruto's forearm and the blond couldn't help but feel a bit of vindication at the frustration that flashed over the four-year-old's face. Was it childish to say, _take that_ to the younger version of the man they had never managed to put a scratch on? Or phase. Or irritate. Or kill. Especially kill.

"Where are you going after this?" Itachi asked, leaping over a sweeping leg kick. He threw a haymaker only for Naoki to casually block it.

"We were thinking about Suna. It's nice this time of year."

"Suna weather never changes." Itachi said calmly, bouncing into a flip.

"Exactly." Naruto grinned.

--

Katashi nodded to one of the passing chuunin cheerfully, ignoring his shocked stare. "Howdy!" he said to one. "Good day." He said to another, all the while smiling with a very ticked off Kakashi tucked under his arm.

"Let me go, you big bag of rotting cabbage!" Kakashi yelled, kicking. After being teased a few times about Katashi over his language he decided not to give the man anymore ammunition. Unfortunately, now Katashi had another thing to tease him about.

"Aww… isn't the little boy cute? Trying to keep his mouth clean." Katashi chuckled. "Chibi-Kakashi – you are a hoot!" He nodded to another staring passerby. "What say we go meet your team!"

_Like this?_ Kakashi thought in horror. "No! Let me down! Let me down! _I hate you!"_

Katashi just laughed as he carried the kicking and screaming boy towards the worst humiliation possible.

--

Kushina bumped fists with Naruto, smirking down at him. "Well, I don't know when I'll get back. However… that one rabbit is still in the target zone. Next time you stop by you might find him a little toasty."

"Man you suck at code language." Naoki snickered. "But I will definitely have to get a copy of the video. You _did_ plant the security camera, right?"

"Duh!" Kushina smacked him over the head. "You think I'm going to miss the havoc of my prank?"

"Your prank?" Naruto said pointedly. Kushina rolled her eyes.

"Fine, fine. _Our_ prank – happy?"

"Indubitably." Naruto answered, smirking cockily.

Kushina huffed. "Hey watch it, or I may just have to see how good you are at _avoiding_ pranks."

"Do that and it'll be a war Konoha will never forget." Naruto warned. Kushina grinned and Naruto got the impression that was exactly what she wanted.

Her teammate called out to her and she flashed him the universal "one minute" signal. Ruffling Naoki's hair fondly she smiled. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

"Hey – I'm not the one whose going death defying." Naruto groused, smoothing down his hair futilely. "Take care of yourself, you old hag."

"Will do." And with that her team ran out of the city.

--

Minato riffled through the papers, half an eye turned to the door. The creaking of the stairs, the opening of a bottle from downstairs. Voices in the hallway. They seemed supersonic to his adrenaline charged ears. Gloves ensured that no prints were left on the polished mahogany desk. He carefully placed the papers back the way they were. He grunted in frustration and turned to the drawers. Deactivating the security on the corners, he pulled it open quietly. A triumphant smile flashed across his face as he pulled out the yellow folder. "Bingo."

Laying it on a scroll he rapidly formed seals. The seal on the scroll flashed red and an identical copy formed beside the original. Minato replaced the folder and carefully shut the drawer. He activated the traps and picked up his acquisition. "Well… this should answer a few questions."

He walked over to the door and strained his hearing to see if anyone was near. Satisfied that he was for the moment alone, he pulled the door open. Shutting the door behind him, he walked confidently towards the building exit, Uzumaki Kushina's file held securely under his arm.

Judging by the thickness, it would be good reading for the mission.

--

Obito and Rin stared, their jaws hanging somewhere below their knees. Rin blinked, and then Obito was rolling on the floor holding his hides as he collapsed into hysterical laughter. Rin was soon to follow, but at least she tried to hide the snickers behind a hand. Unfortunately, her increasingly red face gave her away. Finally, Kakashi's teammate gave it up as a bad job all around and let her laughter soar.

Kakashi – suspended from under Katashi's arm with makeup and hair dyed blond – flushed red. He was going to kill them. Tie them up, hang them upside down from the nearest telephone post, and force-feed them… carrots! And… and green beans!

He didn't make any graphic death threats for fear Katashi could read his mind – he wouldn't put it past the perv. He shot a death glare at his teammates, but when they burst into another set of giggles he assumed the makeover had ruined the effect. Katashi set him down and patted him on his newly dyed hair. Kakashi lurked into a sulk. He didn't even know when it had happened! One minute Katashi had been carrying him kicking and screaming down the street, the next he was surrounded by women with mascara and lipstick.

At least Katashi had drawn a line at the frilly pink dress. _Wait, did that sound grateful? No! I'll never be grateful to the --!_

"No swearing Kamalafi-kun." Katashi admonished. Obito mouthed Kamalafi as Kakashi stared at the adult incredulously.

"Do you read my mind or something?"

Katashi grinned cheerfully and winked. "Or something."

Rin giggled, and started asking a thousand questions. "How did you do that? Was he really swearing? How did you dye his hair? Who did the makeup. Can you teach me? I like makeup, but I don't have a lot of chances to use it, because it's impractical on missions. Of course, some girls take it anyway, but it just takes up room that I can use for medicine so I don't. Do you like makeup? I mean, naturally, not on you because you're a guy, but do you like it when girls wear it? My mom says I should wear makeup more, but my dad says I should stay plain or else he'll have to put bars on my window. He's joking of course, but still. Are you married? Do you have a daughter?"

Katashi blinked as Rin's rapid shot questions caught him off guard. Kakashi couldn't help but smirk when the normally implacable man was caught flat footed. "Er… yes, I mean, no, I mean, I had help… er…"

Rin lifted an eyebrow. "You had help having a daughter?"

"NO! I mean, not that." Katashi floundered before saying forcefully, "I meant I had help giving the squirt a makeover."

"Ooohhh!" Rin said, nodding sagely. "So how did you have a daughter without help?"

It was only when the boys caught the wicked glint in her eye that they understood that Rin had planned this all along. As Katashi actually blushed, Obito and Kakashi shared a laugh. That was how Minato found them, in the midst of a fist pounding, side aching frenzy, Kakashi with lipstick and eye shadow across his face and Obito with tears running down his cheeks from laughing. Rin was hunched over, and a poor bewildered man was opening and shutting his mouth like a fish.

_Wait…_ Minato backtracked. _Kakashi in _what_?_

_-0-0-_

Minato had said a fast fare-thee-well to Naruto, so the blond was feeling rather cheerful. If Itachi wondered why his mentor was so blasted happy at having said goodbye to a virtual stranger, he chalked it up to outsider weirdness and left it at that. He made absolutely no attempt to catalogue the obvious similarities in appearance, or the vaguely uncomfortable aura that he associated with distant cousins when they came to visit.

Nope.

Not at all.

If he had catalogued it, he would have been obliged to submit his observation to Clan Head, and he wasn't about to give the –– any more ammo than they already had. Naoki led him to the covered wagon where he was greeted by Haruko. The cherry girl nodded to the Uchiha in greeting then turned her full glare on the blond beside him. She opened her mouth, presumably to scold him. Suddenly it seemed she became aware of the guards who were watching over their wagon and clamped her lips shut. Naoki relaxed slightly.

_I assume she knows better than to undermine the leader in front of potential threats. _

He was pleased by this. Naoki entered the wagon for a few moments, and the sound of shifting boxes was apparent even after the curtain had fallen shut behind him. He was sure he heard several crashes, and glass breaking before Naruto poked his head out again. Haruko was visibly restraining herself as some of the damage was revealed. "Utter, and complete slob! Hurricane Naruto! Grrr…" Haruko muttered to herself, marching over to the wagon. Itachi blinked. _Naruto? Who's Naruto?_

He was distracted when Naruto knelt before him. "Here, I want you to have this." He opened his hand to reveal a small gold medallion, the chain long enough to hide it under his shirt. "This was a gift from my mentor. It'll keep track of you – if you're ever hurt, or sad, or whatever – if you ever need me channel chakra into that and I'll come running. You're too young to handle the world yet."

Itachi looked at the coin size charm Naoki had dropped in his hand. He tipped his head in a way not unlike a cat and examined it.

He met his mentor's eyes and nodded seriously. The blond grinned and ruffled his hair.

That moment was when Itachi decided it didn't matter what Naoki's real name was. It didn't matter where this caravan came from. It didn't matter if they were good for Konoha or not. Whoever he was, Naoki was offering him the choice to not be the strongest. He slipped the thin chain over his neck.

"When will you be leaving." He asked calmly.

"Oh…" Naoki straightened. "This afternoon I think. We want to hit the road before sundown."

"Interesting." Was all Itachi said. He could have mentioned how most people would want to leave at dawn, so as to travel far before night fall. He could have mentioned how traveling at night raised suspicion. But he didn't.

Naoki winked at him anyway. Somehow, Itachi figured he would have to get used to people who read his mind.

--

Sai handed Itachi a painting just before they left. It was a simple ink sketch of the Caravan members with Itachi standing in the middle. Two large stone Dragons were painted on either side. "Artistic license." Sai said with a shrug when asked about them. Kiba snorted suspiciously, but Itachi decided to accept it as is.

Then, with a ruffle of his hair from Naoki, a pat from Katashi, and a nod from Sai, the caravan left.

Itachi was startled to realize he would miss them.

He'd never felt that before.

--

Hinata smiled when she felt the first rumblings of the wagon pulling up. It had been a long three weeks, but it was over now. Brushing her hands off she got up to greet them. Shinsei watched her in confusion, not having the senses to feel the rumbling of wagon wheels on the ground. However, he picked up the game of Go and followed her out, only to stare as the white covered wagon came through the trees.

Tsuki was already running before the covered wagon cleared the tree line, her obi fluttering behind her. Kiba and Neji jumped from the wagon and hurled themselves at her. She was swept up by Kiba's hug as Neji scanned her for any signs that something was wrong. Seeing no broken bones, bruises, or other nefarious signs he relaxed for what was probably the first time since they had left for Konoha.

They pulled the wagon into the cave and Hinata enthusiastically dragged them around the fire to tell of their adventures. She was pleased to learn her tapestries had been enthusiastically received, having sold out by the second week. "Seriously, Hinata." Kiba said enthusiastically, biting into the chicken she had prepared in case they arrived at home in time for dinner. "I think there was actually a cat fight over the blue one. You know with the wolves?"

"Really?" Hinata said, amused. "And I'm sure none of the Inuzuka clan was involved with that."

Kiba looked affronted for a minute before his twitching lip gave him away. "Why Hin-Tsuki! What are you insinuating – that's clan pride you're insulting!"

"Technically," Sai said from where he was dissecting his chicken, separating anything that didn't look like meat with the precision of a surgeon. "then wasn't it a dog fight?"

"Yeah." Kiba said, a disgusted look crossing his face. "No way were they related to cats."

They waited until Shinsei was in bed to give her the important news, such as Naruto taking Itachi under his wing, or Katashi annoying Kakashi to near suicide. They told her about seeing faces long gone again. Neji quietly told her about his surveillance of the Hyuuga clan. "They're doing well, Hinata-sama. Otousan and your father are… really close. Your dad's just started courting your mother. My parents are already married." He muttered something that sounded a lot like, "Thank God." Hinata shot him an amused glance.

"What?" He said in exasperation. "All I'm saying is it was awkward enough without seeing my parents wandering around like moon-eyed cows. I mean it was bad enough seeing them…" He blushed furiously and Hinata's gentle smile turned a bit more teasing.

"Ooohh, did Neji spy something he shouldn't?" Kiba laughed.

Neji threw a handful of dirt at him. "Shut up!"

"Make me!"

When Neji actually lunged across the fire to tackle the dog user, the rest of the ex-ninja scurried out of the way. After three weeks of walking on egg shells a good fight was just what they needed. As the two boys brawled – well, okay. Kiba brawled, Neji did a deadly dance – their fellow survivors jeered them on. Lee yelled furiously about the power of youth, Hinata cheered for them both at once, and Naruto orchestrated the betting. After everyone had placed their dibs, Shikamaru bet all his money on Kiba.

To the shock of them all, Shikamaru once again proved to be right.

When Kiba stared at his rival down in the dirt he couldn't believe it. He blinked. Blinked again, and then with a wild, enthusiastic howl announced his victory to the world. Neji, it seemed, would be doing the laundry for a long time.

--

There were several fights during the night. Sai and Chouji faced off once. Ino and Sakura had a go at it. No one fought Shikamaru because the night brought the epitome of his power to the front, and no one wanted a guaranteed lose. Finally they wound down and Naruto called them to order.

"We have several options from here. Suna, Mist, or we make a pit stop at Grass. We need to get as many of those civilian villages on our side as possible before Orochimaru gets to them. However, he's not going to make a move for a few years, and I hear Sand's wonderful this time of year. Nice, warm, very little rain…"

Sai snorted. "That pretty much describes it all year long."

"Exactly." Naruto stated firmly. "Plus, they just got out of sand storm season!"

"And the scantily clad women during the festival has nothing to do with it." Sakura said dryly, abruptly reminding everyone that the Celebration of End of Sandstorms was just around the corner. Kakashi sat up.

"I vote we go. Naruto does have a point – the Sand are rather suspicious of people like us, and well, since we're planning to brainwash Gaara I figure why not get their trust while we can, eh?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "Of course you do." She sighed. "I've got no opposition to going. I just ordered some great material for Suna anyway. They love their colors, and I've got just the thing!"

Naruto started bouncing in his seat. "Okay, so that's three votes."

"You have mine!" Kiba declared. "Man, those girls are hot!" Hinata glared at him so frigidly Akamaru whimpered. Kiba slunk into the shadows. "Well they are." He said petulantly.

The final tally was seven to four in favor. And for once Hinata proved herself a capable shrew by giving Neji and Kiba the cold shoulder.

One thing was sure – this promised to be a very promising next few months until the next stage of their plan. And they couldn't wait.

--

End Part One

--

TBC…

Moloch Horridus – small lizards approximately 6-8 inches long. They have ridges on the outside of their skin like horns. The Moloch stands in a puddle of water and swallows rapidly. The ridges made by the horns pull water from the puddle, carry it up through the channels to the lizard's mouth where it drinks.

Author's Note: This chapter took a lot longer than anticipated. I guess it couldn't be helped with it being test week and all. Once again, thanks to my beta! Well that concludes Part One. Next up is an Interlude and then it's on to part two.

Wait! Don't Leave! Review first!


	10. Schemes, Plots, and Interludes

_**Well...** this took a lot longer than I thought it would. Originally it I had it planned going one way, and then a lot of people asked for a scene in Suna, so I decided - who want's an outline anyway? Let's have some fun! A month and a half past my deadline later... _

_**This** is also probably the hardest and most awkward chapter I've done this story, so I'm really praying it came out okay. _

_**I **also have **not** answered reviews for chapter Nine, but that is on my list of thing-to-do-stat, so don't worry - you will get a response! :)_

_-0-0-_

_Three months Later_

_Suna_

Suna hadn't changed. That was the first thing Naruto noticed. The walls were still the same. The houses were built the exact same way as before the Kohona-Oto war; identical mounds of sand with identical windows peering into the streets. That was the thing about Suna – the sands moved and shifted, but the village had managed to find stability in conformity. When a house was knocked down, it was built up to be exactly the same way as before down to the smallest step and tile.

However, as he walked down the street to the Kazekage's office, he noticed another prime difference. The people were harder and more haggard. Tension lines marked the faces of the women. Men were hallow-eyed and dim, standing stiffly in the shadows. Children fell silent as they were passed, shrinking inward as if they could make themselves smaller. Naruto didn't need to guess why – he knew.

Long conversations with Gaara as they sat on sandy walls with a pitcher of sake between them had taught him all he ever needed to know about Suna's former dictators. Because dictators they were. Gaara's father had reined with an iron first, brutally suppressing any attempts at perceived rebellion the way a paranoid man looks after his coins. Suna didn't need to look outside for war – they were in a war with themselves.

Naruto relaxed slightly as Sai moved closer, reminding the Jinchuriki that he wasn't alone in hostile territory. Shikamaru walked ahead, his eyes scanning all the corners and shadows taking in every scrap of information available. They couldn't afford to mess this up, but they weren't going to be caught off guard. The initial team was selected carefully. Naruto with his laid back conduct was good for breaking down barriers with the guards and civilians. Not only that, but they couldn't risk Suna being insulted by not being approached by the leader of the caravan. Sai had lived under a martial law for the first sixteen years of his life, so he was good at getting beneath a dictator's mask. The fact that he could read Naruto like no one else was just a side note. Really.

Shikamaru was responsible for the brunt of the negotiations.

During his time fighting with Temari and Konkurou, the shadow user had amassed a large reservoir of knowledge about Sand's code of conduct and negotiations. He would be able to see the verbal traps several minutes before they could be sprung – he was the perfect choice.

That didn't make Naruto any less nervous. He knew he couldn't save Gaara from becoming a Jinchuriki. For one thing, there was no way a trader would know about the oversized raccoon stuffed in a clay pot somewhere.

However, his chance to help keep Gaara from being isolated was hinged directly to this mission. If they didn't get the approval of the Kazekage to bring their caravan here they were stuck. Screwed. Toast. High and dry. Without an Ace in the hole. Stuck.

Snapping himself out of his thoughts before he froze, the blond tried focusing on his surroundings. He was humming with nervous energy, electric blue eyes flittering to every movement and shadow. He licked his lips for what must have been the hundredth time and began bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Sai rolled his eyes and reached forward to grab the bouncing boy's forearm. "Calm down, or we won't even get through the front door."

"Easy for you to say," He hissed back, eyes flickering over the still and dull faces of the villagers. Sai rolled his eyes, choosing to be the bigger man and not rise to the insult.

"So you admit I'm more emotionally stable than you?" Sai quipped. Hey, give a guy a break – that one was too good to pass up.

Shikamaru stiffened in front of them. "We're here."

All three boys eyed the building in front of them in consternation. The sand structure towered over them, it's dome reaching to the cloudless sky ominously, her guards staring at them suspiciously.

_Unfortunately,_ Naruto realized, _there is no turning back now._

_-0-0-_

The Kazekage stared at the strangers from behind his desk, his face dark and foreboding. Dark eyes flitted from one to the other, sizing them up. The blond met his glare with a stare of his own, meeting his eyes head on. There was a hint of challenge in the electric blue eyes that stared back at him and the Kazekage felt his hackles rise. At the same time he was impressed, because no one's stared him down since his wife slapped him upside the head and announced to him with bright green eyes that she was going to marry him, but that didn't mean she would be the least bit happy about it, parent's approval or not. He never told her, but he loved her from the moment she refused to be cowed by the stifling customs that built their homes.

However, this punk certainly wasn't his wife, thus he sat up and shot his best glower in return, mixing a little killing intent in the air. Civilians wouldn't know what it was, and their unknown fear would throw them off balance.

The blond stiffened the minute the killing intent filled the room, and the dark-haired boys closed in at his flank. Well, that was interesting. He now knew who the leader was at least – however, the kid wasn't cowering like he was supposed to.

Intriguing.

And infuriating.

He resisted the urge to throw them out of his city gates and bar the door behind them. Instead he leaned forward in his chair and threaded his long fingers together. "My men tell me you have a proposition for me."

There was a quick, nearly unperceivable exchange of information in the trio. If he hadn't been wearing this hat for seven years he would've missed it. A rapid play of emotions crossed the face of the kid with the long hair and the Kazekage could _feel_ the plan changing. As it was, when the blond stepped forward while the spiky-haired kid stepped back, he wasn't surprised.

"Hai, Kazekage-sama." The blond said firmly, confident eyes meeting his. The Kazekage was hit with the resemblance to the Yellow Flash. "My name is Naoki. My companions and I are here to make you a deal. It's like this…"

_-0-0-_

_Three Hours Later_

Naoki watched him, unblinking. The Kazekage stared back. It was a dance as old as time – a battle of wills that even the wild cats fought. The first to look away would be admitting submission. It was more than the deal on the table here. It was their pride, the respect of their rival, and all chances of working in and around each other. Finally the Kazekage sighed, and still not taking his eyes off Naoki's ice blue, nodded. Naoki nodded back and promptly turned to his men. It was a dismissal. On both sides.

The door to the office opened and the Kazekage glanced up, ready to lash out at whoever had interrupted them, only to bite his tongue when he met his wife's emerald green eyes. Red and blond hair was pulled up softly so as ringlets hung down and framed her face. Green robes to match her eyes – the only of their likeness in the entire village – fell like a waterfall of silk over her swollen abdomen, and suddenly he couldn't be angry anymore.

She was bearing his heir. His firstborn.

And he loved her for it, if not for anything else.

The visitor's watched her from their corner, bowing respectfully. The boy with the perpetually bored expression was watching his wife with sudden keen interest. Or, more importantly, her protruding stomach. His gaze was almost amused, the first emotion he had seen except for bored calculation.

And suddenly he had the feeling that no matter how dangerous he had guessed them to be – how cunning – he hadn't even come close.

As his wife nodded diplomatically to them, her mouth already quirking into a smile, he glanced down at the signed piece of paper on his desk and somehow felt he had just sealed his fate.

He only wished he knew what it was.

-0-0-

_Two Months Later_

_Small Civilian Village_

_Rain Country_

You always knew when the caravan was in town. The bustle increased. The energy of the village became super charged, the ordinary routine brushed away by the hustle and excitement of the Caravan. Shop keepers closed their stalls early. School was given a holiday.

The caravan brought items from the outside world. Small trinkets made of shiny metal, hippy jewelry, colorful scarves and clothing. They brought medicine and spices which they sold for half the price the doctors and bakers would have paid if they had ordered them from the city. Fancy wooden toys were bought to entertain the children, and games stirred up competitions between the youth. Once every three visits the caravan would put on a show. It included fire breathing, acrobatics, and dancing.

Ino, the fortune teller, was a hit amidst the young ladies who flocked to see which one of them would end up with the boy of their dreams. She had become famous for her pinpoint predictions, and already she was hailed as the new oracle of the village, despite not being a resident. The older generation was more skeptical, taking in her brightly colored skits, the tacky ropes of colored plastic that hung around her neck. At least, they said to themselves, she didn't burn the incense or spray perfume on the vibrant curtains she hung around her booth.

Haruko was a blessing. Her hands were magic, praised those who visited her. She could heal any wound or injury, and her massages were to die for. She was kind to the children, listened to the old people babble on when even their children became exasperated. It was a large change from their first impression of her, with her short shorts and shirts and dyed hair.

The oldest of them was a laid back man who was infamous for selling contraband items such as porn or pirated movies.

The young men, single men who didn't have a girl to be committed to, children to worry about, or jobs after seven, flocked to him. They took their sake and cheep meals – made by their mothers who didn't – couldn't – say no. The women would look on and roll their eyes, wondering how men could be so dense, and promising themselves that they would find the diamond among the coal.

However, despite the eccentrics of the travelers, despite how they brought out sides of the men and women that they didn't want to bring to daylight, the caravan was always welcome. It put smiles on their faces, it made the drab village life a little more bearable. It made the women less like their female, canine counterparts, gave men a three day holiday in which to spend time with their families, and gave the children a place to run wild.

They would bring tales from distant lands, silks from Sand, carvings from Konoha, baskets from Grass. Fruits from Waterfall, necklaces and beads from Rock. Art and food from all over.

The Caravan had come from nowhere, but it was already famous. It wasn't uncommon for someone to visit the village and talk about the caravan visiting them three countries over. They were fast, efficient, and they always did everything 110. They always delivered their packages, and if they couldn't they refunded you. After all – a bad reputation was as hard to lose as a good one was to gain.

A week later the Caravan rolled out, leaving a cheerful village behind, children running after them yelling goodbyes.

And the small boy with them looked out of the wagon back and smiled at the woman beside him as she sat and embroidered a new tapestry for the Kazekage's new daughter, Tamari. If asked why she was carefully stitching purple fans with three moons on the bottom, she would only smile and share a smirk with the spiky haired man that watched the skies.

-0-0-

_Four Months Later_

_Four Miles out of Konoha_

Itachi skidded to a stop and stood still, quivering in the shadows of the tall trees above him. His team was a mile back, setting up camp. He was supposed to be hunting for their dinner, having run out of rations two days ago. However, he had already piled his kills behind him, and was waiting anxiously for the reason he was standing here, risking discovery and humiliation. If he was caught, he could be accused of fraternizing with an enemy. He could be accused of being a security risk. But it was worth it. Those threats were of a former life. A life trapped in his father's shadow. A life of prison and solitude despite being surrounded by hundreds of members of his own household.

So he waited.

He waited as the sun lowered, stretching dark shadows across cold ground. He waited as the nightly noises began to sing from the surrounding forest. He waited as his teammates began calling to him. He waited when they stopped calling, figuring it was just another weird Uchiha habit. The kid was strange anyway. Who knew what was going on in his mind?

He waited until a tall figure lifted out of the shadows, eyes shining red in the darkness.

-0-0-

"I'll be gone for a few weeks." The silhouette of the man said, tearing the strands of grass to shreds. "If you have any questions, you can ask one of the others. They'll be hanging around a bit more for the next month or so."

"Ah." Itachi answered. He didn't ask where he was going. He didn't ask for how long. He figured it was none of his business.

"I shouldn't be gone too long. Just about two months or so." The shadow told him anyway, tilting his head back to stare up at the silver moon. Itachi nodded, even though he knew the silhouette couldn't see him. He felt the figure smile anyway.

"I know you won't ask, but I also know your curious. It's okay to ask questions you know." The dry laugh came from deep in the chest and washed over Itachi like a mother's hug. Not that he'd know. "I need to see a fox about a man."

Itachi twitched. "A fox about a man?"

"Hn."

Itachi felt his mouth tighten. His companion was usually a lot more talkative than this, filling the air with idle chatter that always seemed to have double meanings. He would talk about how the summer bugs flying up like storms and swarming around their bodies would only be complete at the command of the silent statues.

Or he would comment on a teddy bear and quip about how if it were dressed in Chinese silk it would be ready for letting lose a rain of knives and a hail of sharp pointed thingies. Itachi would blink and wonder what teddy bears had to do with weapons, and what bugs had to do with statues, but then decide it was just one of his companions quirks and return to training himself to smile and not lash out with a killing blow when playing tag.

This silence wasn't like Naoki. This deadly quiet filled only by the buzzing of the mosquitoes and the crackle of leaves wasn't like his mentor. So he asked his first, non-training question that didn't have to do with his clan: "What's wrong?"

Naoki started, his eyes flashing crimson in the dim moonlight before settling back to glowing blue. A flash of white teeth made their way through the shadows. But it wasn't the friendly smile he'd become so used to in the last year. It was pure violence and death. It promised pain and suffering and vengeance and Itachi was suddenly scared – not for himself, because somehow he knew the man before him would never hurt him, but scared for the man himself.

Because he likes having someone beside him who sees him as himself, not an heir, not a tool, not a weapon – but as Itachi.

So he bit his lip and took a plunge. "Be careful. Your friends would be crushed if they lost you."

Then he got up and walked away, not seeing the impact of his words.

He walked away knowing full well that Naoki now knew he knew he wasn't buying his merchant story, and that he was okay with it. He walked away reminding his friend that he had people who depended on him. He walked away letting him know he was one of those who would be left behind.

-0-0-

_Konoha_

_Following Day_

When Kakashi spotted the tall brown haired man, he froze. After half a year of the caravan's coming and goings, he had pretty much the routine down and managed to avoid Katashi the Menace with such talent that Minato-sensei was considering promoting him. Of course, that prevent the scoundrel from getting his hands on Obito and teaching him all the tricks of the trade. So now, even when they were on missions he couldn't get away from the chocolate-haired man's influence. Annoying thing, chocolate. It stuck to the back of your mouth, clogged up your throat and made everything else taste dull in comparison.

He shook his head to clear it, then turned tail and _ran_.

There was no way he was getting conned into another ticket of Katashi's Roller Coaster of H--.

He noticed Katashi never bothered him when he was hanging out with Rin and Obito – not training, just hanging out – so he quickly made his way to the Uchiha compound and wondered if his friend would be free today.

He didn't even notice he had used the word friend until several hours later, when trying to catch up on all the training he had missed by going fishing and throwing rotten apples at the messenger Genin just to see them jump.

Even then, he convinced himself it didn't mean anything, because if there was one thing Kakashi was good at, it was lying to himself.

-0-0-

_Two Weeks Later_

Naruto climbed, ignoring the sting of the rock against his hand. The wind hit him like a whip but he gritted his teeth and got a firmer grip on the cliff face. He had tracked Kyuubi for days, starting at a large cave close to Sand, then following it under an active volcano – not fun – at all. Now he was scaling the icy cold cliffs of the land of Ice over seven hundred miles away from Konoha. All to find the fur ball and make him stay away. His own furball – safe and snug and warm inside is laughing up a storm at the irony, but Naruto's the one who's had severe burns on the soles of his feet, ash in his lungs, lava on his clothes, frostbite on his nose, his fingers smashed, and hands and knees scraped, so he didn't see the humor.

And really, he just wished the stupid fox would just _shut up_ and let him concentrate. After all, the blond could only take so much bragging about being hard to track down before he deliberately let himself fall just to make Kyuubi earn his keep. But that would be painful, so he focused on pulling himself up another painful inch.

He wasn't going to die – not here. Not far away from his family, not away from Itachi, Gaara, and the yet-to-be-conceived Sasuke. So he gritted his teeth and wondered what Hinata was making for dinner, what Sakura was chasing after Kakashi with, and what type of chips Chouji had decided to sell this week. He ignored the cold and wet clouds around him to wonder about what shapes Shikamaru was seeing, and he didn't admire the view, for imagining the scenery being painted by Sai was much too important to ignore.

And when his thoughts were on them, he felt just a little bit warmer.

…Just a little bit.

-0-0-

_Konoha_

Sakura was chasing after her formerly grey-haired sensei with an iron pan just because she could. Sure, she had the excuse that she had caught him reading Icha Icha Paridise chapter seven to a group of round-eyed ten year olds, but that was just an excuse. She was really doing it to distract the others. To distract Shikamaru who had been frowning for _days_, studying the map on the floor of the wagon with a dedication she hadn't seen since the war. To distract Ino, who had snapped at twenty two customers in the last two weeks, when she had never snapped at a customer other than Sakura in all the years she had known her. It was bad for business the blond had always said.

She was chasing the older man because she wanted to wipe the dead and dull look off Sai's face, and make him paint something other than death and despair. That had been the title of his last painting, and it had been so depressing she had even heard a woman had _cried_ after seeing it.

So she chased after Kakashi with her pan held high even though chapter seven had been mainly dialogue, and didn't even contain innuendo – not that she would know, of course. She had burned any and all copies of those books she could get her hands on in a large bonfire with a lot of other women who felt degraded by the trashy novels. She knew when he didn't escape four minutes into his flight that he understood.

She knew he thought it was worth a few quickly healed bumps on the head to see the morose look slide off Kiba's face, or see a grin light up Shinsei's eyes. Hinata's mouth would drop as she tried to look horrified. She always failed miserably, even though everyone knew she was the best actress among them. She always made sure never to look _actually_ indignant, because Shinsei picked up his cues from her, and getting the kid to smile was hard enough.

None of them have to guess what kind of trauma the kid had gone though. They knew enough from their own experiences – undercover missions to other countries had provided enough mental and emotional scaring to tide them over for four lifetimes. They hadn't even been raised there. In this day and age, to a lesser extent, Iwa still held to the traditions of the Bloody Mist. Survival of the fittest, killing comrades, and sending children out to fight against superior odds… it was all very current and happening. And for Shinsei to be as advanced as he was right now – he would had to have gone through things worse than death.

He was officially Hinata's boy, but they had all pitched in to teach him that it was okay to chase a ball with the other kids, to stumble on a rough path, to cry when he skinned his knee. Kiba had taken it upon himself to teach the kid how to play pranks in Naruto's absence. He could be found showing Shinsei how to attack a bucket at just the right angle so you could pull the rope, dump it on Ino, and still manage to escape detection.

Usually, Naruto would be right there beside them, whispering that they should have used paint instead.

Shinsei had changed in the last year. Time spent wandering from village to village accompanied by his new aunts and uncles had softened the hard edges left by strenuous training. Chouji had taught him the rules of games such as tag, and hide and seek where the point wasn't to be lost or un-caught. From Ino and Sakura he had gained the healthy fear that all men acquired at some point or another of women in a shopping mood. He could now cower with Shikamaru, Lee, and Neji in the wagon as the women tried to change their styles. Apparently, the women thought the men's hair cuts were entirely inappropriate, and were bound and determined to give them new styles.

Shinsei didn't know what to think about Neji. He was fiercely protective of Hinata, but he was as cold as anyone the boy had ever met. He could count on one hand the times he'd seen the stoic man smile, and he could only remember once that Neji had laughed. Even that had been the result of a joint effort of Kiba, Naoki and Katashi that had taken thirty minutes of pure tom foolery.

Naoki had explained to the boy patiently that he had to do something for the rest of the group. He had calmly asked Shinsei to watch over them, because at times they could all be idiots and miss the obvious. He had also asked him to watch out for Hinata, and Shinsei had wondered why he had even felt the need to ask.

-0-0-

_Kyuubi's Den_

Naruto stared up at the cave opening, somehow knowing that his prey was inside. The heat spewed out of the rock tunnel scalding his face and hands – the only part of his body exposed. It was a sharp contrast to the frigid cold he had just scrambled out of. The snow was melted up to seven feet out from the cave entrance, the heat making a shell of safety from the raging blizzard. The snow on his shoulders, packed in the wrinkles and layers of his clothes, frosted to his boots and hair, melted into steaming rivers. His chakra was humming through his veins, thrumming in his ears with every heartbeat.

"Well… This is it." He muttered.

_Are you going to just stand there like an idiot, or are you going to go in?_ Kyuubi grumbled in his head, curling around himself. Naruto rolled his eyes and entered the furnace. He had to see a fox about a man.

He walked for what seemed like hours. The furnace just grew hotter as he walked inwards, his skin burning black and healing just as quickly. Worn, tanned skin turned into soft pink before darkening to charcoal. His clothes were long gone, eaten up by the heat and melted stone. He came upon the flames gradually, first noticing the glow at the end of the tunnel though foggy eyes. Soon he saw the heat, licking at the blackened walls and floor like a living being.

And it was a living being. He passed though the flame to enter the massive cathedral of rock and lava and flame. The nine tailed fox lay like royalty on a bed of melted gold and diamonds. Kyuubi was majestic – that was the first thought that crossed Naruto's mind. He lay with fur of copper flame, his ears black as soot, his eyes glowing like coals. Those same keen eyes latched onto Naruto's blackened features, taking in the smell of burnt hair, the stench of roasted skin, and laughed.

Naruto grumbled. "Now you laugh." His chapped lips broke as he talked, spilling blood down his chin.

"You dare to speak to me that way?" The fox chuckled, stretching out leisurely. "Don't you know who I am?" He stood up, his tails sweeping behind him.

"Yeah, yeah, you're the – that's going to make a deal with me."

Kyuubi laughed again, the flames arching up with every heaving roar. "And why would I do that?"

Naruto's eyes flashed red.

"Oh, I think you could probably figure that out."

Kyuubi glanced at him, amused and curious. He sniffed, ears twitching forwards, and then he was growling, white teeth revealed from behind pulled up lips.

Naruto grinned, his teeth white against blackened skin.

"Yeah, you recognize it, don't you." He chuckled. "I'm a jinchuuriki to one of your own. And, if your senses are as good as I _think_ they are, you know exactly who I have in me."

Kyuubi watched him carefully. "How did you…"

"How did I end up with you inside of me while you are so clearly still free and and wreaking havoc on the land?" Naruto grinned. "That's easy – time travel."

-0-0-

_Two Weeks Later_

Kakashi sat beside Kiba, eyes roving the village. They straddled the wagon top, the spine creaking beneath them. Kiba sat tensely, his lips pulled back into a snarl. "He's supposed to be back by now."

"Ah."

"It's been over a month."

"Finding the target isn't very easy."

Kiba snorted. "Nah, he would have found him weeks ago. Naruto's good like that."

Kakashi's eyes flickered toward him in warning. Kiba shrugged unapologetically. "No one's in hearing distance. Saying his name makes it feel like he hasn't been gone that long. That's all."

"You shouldn't trust your nose so much."

"Hasn't let me down yet." Kiba retorted. He sighed, deflated like a loose balloon. "I wish he would get back here soon. It's hard keeping morale up with the clown missing. How many times can I put itching powder in Ino's blankets and blame it on the kids before she catches on!"

They almost didn't notice the commotion. It was Sakura's high pitched –"Na-Naoki!" that had them running at breakneck speed to the village gate. The Konoha residents glared at them, not appreciating the visitors' need for a quick reunion.

Naruto was being glomped by the girls of the caravan. At any other moment, they might have said he would have been wearing a pleased grin, flashing them a wink over the girls' heads. Right now however he was exhausted. Dark rings circled his eyes, his hair was caked in dirt, oil and sweat. His clothes might have been colored some time, but now they were a nasty yellow brown caused by sweat, dirt, and grass stains.

His mouth was tight, and pain lines strained his eyes. Kiba growled. The smell of burning flesh wouldn't have been obvious to a human nose, or even Kakashi's nose, but it filled up the Inuzuka's nostrils. Hinata wasn't so much hugging Naruto as supporting him. A blur dashed to Kiba's side. "Bring him to my house. I have a bed I can give him."

It was Itachi, and somehow the dog tamer didn't think he had missed any detail of his mentor's precarious health. Kiba nodded to him in thanks, and hurried forwards to convey the message. Sai and Neji moved the girls aside so they could support the blond to the Uchiha living area. It wasn't a slur against the women, but they were pretty sure Naruto didn't want to be helped by females in this weak state – chauvinistic or not, no man wants to appear weak before potential opposition.

His eyes crinkled up gratefully and his shoulders relaxed enough to comfortably be supported by his teammates. Shikamaru slinked up to Itachi and quietly asked directions, knowing that the boy had offered a hidden place where the family wouldn't cause trouble. Committing the instructions to memory he gestured Neji to follow him. They walked quickly, hurrying even more when Naruto lapsed into unconsciousness as soon as they got away from the crowd.

-0-0-

They managed to get him to the room without attracting additional attention. Kiba would nod when he heard someone coming and they would blend into the shadows. Today was Market Day, so the streets were pretty much deserted in the living area of town. When he had been a kid living here, it had driven him crazy not to find anyone on the sunny afternoons when his mom had gone to sell puppies to the big-eyed kids who said, "please please please – I'll feed him, and walk him, and you won't even know he's there…" to their moms. Kiba grunted at Sai and Neji to signal the all clear and they sighed in relief, lowering their fearless leader to the bed.

Sakura moved forward, her hands already glowing green. She hovered over his body while scanning him up and down. "He's exhausted," She frowned.

"Really?" Sai snarked. " I don't think I could have figured that out myself."

"Shut up, Sai." Sakura shot back, already running more diagnostics.

"Check for burns." Kiba spoke up. "I can smell burnt skin from here."

They looked up at him, faces tensing. Sakura redoubled her efforts, eyes dark.

"What's the point?" Chouji asked. "Can't Kyuubi heal everything?"

"Kyuubi can only do so much." Sai answered for her. "Too much, to many, to extensive and he works on saving the guys' life, not his looks."

He knelt down beside her and began running a check down Naruto's other side. Sakura tensed. "Third degree burns on his chest. I have signs of smoke inhalation and internal injuries. I don't like the sound of his breathing."

"Broken ribs. His shoulder's got to be killing him." For once Sai wasn't smiling.

"Cracked spine." Sakura spoke up again. "Sai, switch with Hinata. I'm going to need a certified medic for this."

Hinata knelt down, seals flying quickly to gather the necessary chakra. "I'll heal the spine. You take care of his lungs."

"He's got some problems with his intestines too – I'll get that."

"Ah."

They worked until their arms shook, their eyes were blurry and the sun had set. They worked when the others had left to watch the cart, when Kiba fell asleep in the corner, when Lee left to run around the village, his tension such that he couldn't stay still.

Through it all, Naruto's eyes remained closed.

-0-0-

Kushina slammed the door shut, swearing. Three months ago, her teammates had been treating her like a delicate doll, even going as far as to ban her from point and sending her to cook instead of hunting or getting firewood – Tairu _never_ let her cook, saying that she could single handedly win the war for them with her cooking. She thought he was joking, until she cooked for Minato and he had to be rushed to the hospital to have his stomach pumped.

They hadn't let her get even _close_ to the food since then, so she wondered who exactly had henged into her lovable but weird teammate.

And Kaito_, _who was the fairest guy around, who insisted that everyone pull their weight no matter what, had suddenly turned into a chauvinistic male. He didn't let her take point, or take the rear guard. Instead, she found herself constantly in the middle. Not only that, but she had been getting a lot of strange looks from them lately. And just yesterday Tairu had asked if perhaps she wasn't gaining any weight? She nearly killed him, but later she spent three hours on a bathroom scale checking to see if there had been any unwanted pounds added to her hips in the last three weeks.

There wasn't.

So she hit Tairu again.

At first it had been amusing and a little annoying. Now it was just plain aggravating. It had gotten so bad she'd even ranted to Minato – who she never spoke about her team to – just to get a sympathetic nod.

If it were only her team she could have stood it. Except, now it was the entire village. Women whispering as she walked by, men looking over her with knowing eyes. Vendors chuckling at some inside joke.

She had thought for a while it was her imagination, but now she was feeling hurt.

She liked to stand out, cause people to laugh, relieve a little tension. But she didn't like being _singled_ out, laughed _at, _and used as a stress reliever.

Grumbling she pulled out a packet of ramen, and set it on to boil, before checking her weight for the umpteenth time that month. _Just in case._

_-0-0-_

Naruto slept for days, his body quickly building up rest and chakra. Sakura had gotten a saline drip and an IV from a nearby hospital, presumably by stealing it. Either she or Hinata monitored Naruto night and day, never leaving for a second without catching the other up on the status reports. The boys wondered why they did it, as the only thing that really happened was Naruto's hair grew four inches. They were trading stories about how _that_ one happened.

Then, suddenly on the fourth day, the bruises, burns, and what things the girls hadn't managed to cure because of a startling lack of chakra that spurned both girls into swearing to train for seven weeks straight, began healing at an appalling rate. Hinata had squealed in glee and gave Kyuubi phantom hugs and kisses for an hour. The others found this very confusing and weird, teasing her for hours, but the Hyuuga Heir didn't really care.

Their Fearless Leader was getting better – what was there _not_ to be happy about?

Neji took her out for a break after that, leading her to some gardens just to talk. Shinsei and Itachi – who had hit it off during the weeks of their stay, finally left the room, deciding to play a bit of tag. At least, that was the edited version of what Lee told the inquirers. The true story was that Lee had decided the boys were too gloomy, and in celebration of Naruto's youthfully speeding recovery, had decided to indulge the boys in a long and flaming rant about how youthful it was to spend time with other kids, and how the flames of youth shouldn't be stifled by standing at an invalid's bed.

The boys had mysteriously disappeared only thirty minutes into the speech, so he figured they were okay.

It was dark. And silent. And comfortable. He sank into the warmth around him, his body loose and relaxed.

A sprinkle of light forced it's way over to him and he frowned. It was calling him, beckoning him out of his rest. Stubbornly he fought, wanting to stay in the blissful darkness – he was tired! He'd traveled for weeks, doggonit! A woman's voice breached the silence, distant and muffled as if she were talking under water. Or maybe it was the other way around – suddenly the darkness didn't seem so comforting anymore. He clawed his way out of the inky blackness, the voice becoming clearer and more distinct with every long treacherous second.

"Naruto, I know you can hear me. If you don't open your eyes right now I'm gonna…"

_Sakura?_

"Naruto? Naruto, you're awake! Figures the threat of no ramen would get you up."

"Huh?" Naruto forced heavy eyelids to open to see Sakura leaning only an inch away from him. "Augh!"

He snapped up in bed and glanced around the room dazedly. "Where am I?" Sakura, who had been about to hit him because, honestly, what kind of guy woke up screaming at a girl's face, frowned and began feeling along the back of his head.

"Hm… I didn't feel a concussion…" Naruto slapped her hands away with an annoyed frown.

"Hey stop that! I meant where am I now. Cuz this sure ain't a hotel."

Sakura sighed in relief, dropping her head to laugh. "It's a small house on the Uchiha property. Itachi snuck us in."

Naruto flopped back onto his pillow with a grunt and huff. "Itachi, huh?" He chuckled. "I knew the brat had it in him. Where is he?"

"He and Shinsei have become the newest trouble twins. They're glued at the hip." Sakura rolled her eyes. "Kiba's already gotten them in trouble several times."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow, unable to restrain the grin. "Those two together? Man, I never saw that coming."

"You and me both." Sakura huffed. "They've been putting itching powder in Ino's sheets for days."

Naruto threw back his head and laughed. "I would have killed to see her face! How did she take it?"

"She chased them around town, screaming bloody murder, and was arrested for voicing threats against the Uchiha heir." Sakura deadpanned. "We had some serious diplomatic problems for a few days, but Shika got them sorted out." She smirked. "Of course, Ino wasn't to appreciative to the elders being told she was just being over-reactive, and, along with a good dose of PMS it just really hadn't been a good idea to let her out that day. She got so mad she chased_ him_ around with an iron pot." She closed her eyes. "The elders thought we were insane. Your mom got a kick out of it though."

Naruto smiled softly. "She did, huh?"

-0-0-

They sat around Naruto's mat. Shikamaru pulled a drag from his position leaning on the wall next to the window, dark eyes intent on the group before him. Naruto still looked haggard, unconsciousness depriving him from the rest his body truly needed. Sakura hovered at his side, her hands always only inches from him, and the Nara could sense the chakra she gathered just under the surface, ready to spring forward to ease the obvious headache, the clear tension in his shoulders. Sai leaned on the wall behind him, black eyes taking in every detail – every new scar, every cut yet to be healed, the shorter hair – everything.

Shikamaru blew out a stream of smoke, keen eyes picking up the blond's well-concealed flinch. Nonchalantly, the genius flicked the cigar out the window. He could have a smoke later. Chouji frowned at him, but Shika didn't pay him any mind. No reason to worry his friend more than necessary.

In the war, Shikamaru had been caught in fire lots of times. Sometimes it was as simple as a campfire gone wrong, or sometimes it started as grimly as an enemy Katon. It didn't matter how it started, the end was just the same. A combination of the dry, summer air, the lack of rain that browned the grass, and the low level of the streams caused forest fires to be a real and deadly part of the war. The fires wouldn't care for one side or the other. It just ate anyone who got in its way. The smell of burning flesh, the screams of the dying, the pleads for mothers, brothers, and friends. Smoke would clog Shikamaru's lungs, but not the kind he got from a cigar. This kind wouldn't leave.

It would cover his vision so he couldn't make out the forms of his friends ten feet ahead of him. Sometimes that had been a good thing. Sometimes, the lack of sight had protected him from seeing the death of colleagues and friends. Most times he cursed it, wondering _where's Chouji? Is he out? Did he get away? Is he ahead of me? Behind me? Is Ino with him?_

The dry air, dry ground, dry everything made it impossible for a Suiton jutsu. There was simply too little water, and, by the time the fire had started, it had lapped up what water remained. It came to a point that the residents of Konoha were forbidden from using Katon jutsu on the field unless they were alone or captured. Then it wasn't so much suicide as a last act of honor.

After a fire, Shikamaru wouldn't so much smoke a cigarette as use it to remind himself that he was in control. That is, after avoiding them for days.

Kyuubi was a creature that manifested in fire. It was his element, and the Nara was willing to bet that whatever Naruto had had to go through, whatever had depleted the inner Kyuubi so much that he couldn't heal a cracked spine and ruptured spleen – it had been bad enough to warrant a little freedom from flame.

Naruto nodded at him gratefully. Shikamaru "tch"ed and shrugged it off.

"Did you find him?" Kiba broke the inane comments that were being passed around, such as _how are you, get a haircut, nice scars,_ and leaped right into the question they were all dying to ask. The dog tamer sat curled up against Akamaru, sharp eyes fixed on his leader.

"Aa." Naruto answered, eyes shadowed.

"…_and?" _Kiba pressed, never one for patience.

Naruto smirked, eyes red and feral for the briefest of seconds. "He bought it."

There was a _whoosh _of air, and suddenly they were laughing, chattering, and patting each other on the back. Hinata hugged Neji, Ino squealed and pressed herself against Naruto as if she were going to merge with him. Kiba threw back his head and laughed, grabbing Lee into a headlock and giving him a noogie.

"What'd he say?" Chouji asked, leaning forward on his knees. "How'd you convince him?"

"I said if he didn't agree I'd end his life there and then. At least my way he has at _least_ another hundred years and then he's free again." Naruto smirked. Kakashi sighed.

"Naruto, only you could think of threatening one of the tailed beasts."

"And only I would win too!" Naruto bragged. Everyone else groaned.

Sai pushed himself off of the wall. "Well, that's part's over over. Now the question is… who's going to seal it?"

The room stilled.

"Geez, Sai, ruin the moment why don't ya?" Ino groaned. Akamaru barked his agreement.

Sai slunk over to sit beside Neji, deliberately annoying him. "All I'm saying is we only have a little under three years before Kyuubi 'attacks'. We have four months to save Obito _if we can_, and believe me, I like that little guy enough to give it a shot. If only to see him annoy the pants off the deadly trio."

Naruto coughed. "The deadly _what?_"

"That's what we've taken to calling Kakashi, Shinsei, and Itachi." Chouji explained. He grinned. "They've really bonded, if only over a common hate of Katashi and weapons."

"Hey!" Naruto protested. "Those are the best kinds of friendships!"

"Yeah, right." Ino rolled her eyes.

Kiba grunted. "Well it's not like girls do it better. Bonding over clothes and boys and gossip."

Ino bristled and Sai decided it was time to get back on track. "_Anyway…_ We've already planted seeds of suspicion about Orochimaru. He's being investigated by ANBU as we speak. Chances are they'll run him out of town in about two months or so. Kakashi, Neji, and Sai will then carry out the assassination. With any luck he won't get to Grass."

"Even if he does," Lee continued, "Our contacts have been warned against him. He won't receive a warm welcome, and if he tries to take them by force, he'll stir up such a ruckus Konoha would come running."

"How we doing with Tsunade?" Naruto pressed.

"Not good." Sakura answered. "I tailed them for her fiancé's mission. There was no way she could have healed him, even with my help." Green eyes flashed guiltily. "It was too much risk for too little win – I didn't even make contact."

Naruto watched the floor, studying the small cracks in the wood. "How is she?"

"Not good." Sakura blinked back tears. "She's terrified of blood. She hasn't stepped out of her house except under orders or by being frog marched by Jiraya. Even _Orochimaru_ looks worried about her, and I'll tell you one thing, he doesn't appear to be faking."

"Yeah, well, Orochimaru wasn't always a --." Naruto said quietly. "He really did care for his teammates a lot – enough to let them live when he really should, and could, have killed them."

Neji snorted in skepticism.

"Neji, no one's _born_ evil." Hinata admonished quietly. When he looked at her doubtingly, she let it drop and turned back to Sakura. "You've been talking to her off and on when she came to see our new herbs. Have you made any progress?"

"Hardly." Sakura sighed. "I get the feeling she looks at the medicine only because she knows there's a war going on. She doesn't even really _care_. It's like a duty to her!" Naruto grabbed her hand and rubbed a thumb across the back soothingly.

"It's okay. I'll try to get her to talk to me, alright? See if I can't somehow break through her barriers." He slumped tiredly, already feeling the weight of his new duties. He turned to something a little less serious. "How are the terrible trio or whatever you're calling them anyway?"

Kakashi sat up, shutting his book with a snap and a grin. "They're doing well. Itachi's been working with me in the afternoons. I knew he was a genius, but that boy has more talent in his little finger than all of us combined. If I were lesser of a man, I'd be dying of jealousy. As it is, I just hope we can keep him from going dark."

"How's he doing with his clan?"

"He and Obito have bonded well. That's given him some closer ties to his distant family. He had his father, however…" Kakashi trailed off, leaving the others to draw their conclusions. "He's getting along great with the village children though. When he's not on missions, that is."

Naruto smiled. "Has he laughed yet?"

"No, but he smiles more now." Sakura answered, standing up to get some tea.

"How's Shinsei?" Naruto turned to Hinata, studying pearly eyes that for once were not concealed by black strips of linen.

Hinata smiled, staring off into the distance as her hand absently ran up and down Neji's forearm. "He's doing much better. Now him I _can_ say has been laughing more. Kiba's been filling in for you in the prank department, and the boy seems to have some trouble with authority. He doesn't really fit in well with any people other than Itachi and Kakashi, but I guess that's expected."

"And Kakashi?"

This time Katashi's beam nearly lit up the room before he hid it nonchalantly behind a book. "Oh, he's okay."

Ino rolled her eyes. "What he means is, he and Obito are sometimes positively glued to the hip when they're not with the other members of the terrible trio. Obito's sort of a balancing act, so we can't call them that when he's around. Plus, genius over here discovered that if he implied he wouldn't bother Kaka-chan when he was with Obito, they'd hang out more."

The boys sputtered. "Kaka-chan?"

"It fits!" Ino huffed.

"Only with you, Ino." Sai quipped, moving on before she could explode. "However, we still haven't decided what to do with Kyuubi."

Naruto's face tensed. "Sai… we've got a little under three years. Let's wait till then to figure that out."

-0-0-

_Four Months Later_

_Iwa/Konoha Border_

_Fifteen Miles from Bridge_

Obito huffed, grunting as he dashed past trees and though tall grass. They had Rin, he wasn't going to let them get away with it. He reached under his goggles to sweep away the tears that gathered at the corners of his eyes. _D-- _Kakashi! He'd thought they'd made a connection. He'd thought they were friends, and then the stupid volcano-haired jerk had to go shove all his assumptions into his face.

…_Friends are useless…_

…_Those who abandon their mission are trash…_

…_Trash…Trash, trashtrashtrash…_

_TRASH!_

Obito stifled a sob, refusing to be a crybaby even when he was all alone for once. He wasn't trash, and Rin sure as -- wasn't either. _How could he say that? After all she's done for him, after all he's put her though… How. Could. He. _Say._ That! _Anger and fear pushed adrenaline to aching legs, forcing him on. He slipped once and crashed ribs first into a lower branch. The impact knocked the wind out of him, his ribs protested with sharps sparks of pain that riveted through his cavity. Obito's mouth opened to gasp for air, but nothing rushed into his lungs. Hands deprived of strength let go of the branch and he fell into a pile on the ground.

Hissing at the pure agony that spiked through him, he forced himself to his knees. _Rin._

She would know what to do. She always knew.

But she was captured, taken, possibly killed. Probably tortured, and he couldn't just stay laying there!

Obito surged to his feet, breath hitching in his throat. He took one stumbling footstep and then another. And another. And another. Faster… faster… faster, fasterfaster_fasterfasterfaster._

He wouldn't let Rin down. He wasn't like Kakashi. He might be trash… but he wasn't Kakashi. And he never would be.

* * *

TBC…

I'm sorry if this got a little confusing at some points - FF . NET deleated most my page breaks.

Well? Good, bad, just plain terrible?

You know what to do!

Review!


	11. I Took the Path Less Traveled

* * *

Hey all! I got this chapter out in less than a month! Aren't you proud of me? I think this is my favorite chapter so far.

I also have a recommendation for another story - If you like Kushina and Minato, check out Lisse's _got a boy in the war_. It has by far the best protrayal of Minato and Kushina that I've ever read, and it inspired some of the scenes in the chappie, though she does a much better job than anything I could do. I'm not kidding. Check it out... just as soon as you finish mine and leave a review. You can find it in my favorites if you want.

Thanks to all who reviewed. If you have submitted a review and I have NOT replied to it, rest assured it was not intentional and I'll try to get to it soon.

Well, what are you waiting for? Enjoy!

* * *

I Took the Path Less Traveled... And It Made All the Difference.

* * *

Obito crouched low, hidden in the bushes only fifteen feet away. They had Rin on her knees, both hands tied behind her back painfully. But it was the dazed look on her face that killed him. Rin wasn't supposed to look so blank. Obito seethed, shaking in anger. Rin was supposed to be lively, laughing and going through dance routines which would cause the boys to go red in the face and look away. He toyed with the idea of just dashing in, grabbing her, and making a run for it, but quickly discarded it. For one thing, he doubted he was fast enough and because of that they would catch him without his oh-so-needed element of surprise.

Grumbling inwardly about how no good and easy plans _never_ work and why couldn't he get stuck with the _dumb_ bad guys for once, Obito made his way to the tree tops with a grunt of pain. He was pretty sure he had at least cracked a rib, and his monkey impersonation wasn't helping.

He scaled the branches slowly.

Black eyes stayed fixed on the men below, his blood rushing more quickly with every second. Adrenaline pulsed through his ears, his eyes picked up everything in sharper, clearer detail than before. Screwing up his courage, he closed his eyes and breathed out, feeling the unnatural calmness of his battle mentality. It was a talent he had harnessed when training with Itachi over the last six months. Itachi hadn't mentioned where he had learned it, just saying that it would help. Obito's mind cleared of any thoughts except his mission. Emotions were firmly thrown into a small box at the back of his brain to be dug out later. Training, techniques, and strategies filled his mind. "Okay," He breathed. "Let's go."

"To where?" Obito turned around in time to see the genjutsu-using-enemy come out of the tree behind him. Eyes widening, Obito's control slipped. The Iwa-nin grinned and pressed forward, taking advantage of Obito's surprise. A kunai hurled toward him, and Obito dodged, lunging off the tree branch to one higher. He somersaulted in mid air, presenting a smaller target. He landed feet first on a branch. The branch offered a loud crack, but didn't complain further as he hurled himself back at the Rock-nin. His own kunai was quickly drawn and he slashed at the enemy's face. The man roared, his eye slashed. The Iwa-nin lunged wildly, his knife waving in the air. It would have been easy to avoid, had Obito not been in mid lunge.

The Uchiha saw the sharp-edged weapon swishing towards him, angled perfectly to cut through his stomach, gutting him, and spill his insides on the ground below. Obito's eyes fixed on the blade, his arms and legs helpless to twist him out of the way. With a _kaswing_ the deadly knife was forced away, another blade coming between them. Kakashi darted forward, under the longer yet taller reach of the other man and lunged upwards. White fire sparked from the blade he held in his hand – his father's blade – and he cut diagonally. The Iwa-nin dodged too fast to be killed, but the line of red dripping across his neck showed Kakashi had at least _scratched _him.

Obito landed and quickly lunged at the unbalanced man's back. The ninja was caught by surprise as Obito grappled on his back, pulling muscled arm back. Kakashi didn't chance missing the opportunity and came up swinging. The man's head flew off, bounced off a nearby branch and fell to the ground below with a dull thump. An arch of blood traced it's journey.

The body began to slump and Obito quickly braced himself – while it was possible the second nin hadn't noticed the head falling down below, it would be pretty hard to miss a two ton body making its way down. He grabbed the body with both arms, struggling to keep his balance on the narrow branch. Kakashi helped him secure the corpse on the branch, not meeting his eyes. Obito kept his own eyes on him, taking in the well hidden guilt behind black eyes, the broken line in his back, the slight hunch to his shoulders that psych training had taught Obito was a sign of waiting for a blow. He wondered why he had never noticed Kakashi's obvious tells. How could he have been that blind.

When Kakashi finally met his gaze, his dark eyes opened wide. "Obito – you have the sharingan!" he hissed.

Obito's eyes expanded, shocked. He blinked and then blinked again, finally realizing that it wasn't just adrenaline making everything stark and clear. Then he swallowed thickly when he realized the Iwa-nin's beheading would always be locked in his memory. Grabbing the sudden surge of nausea and guilt he shoved it tightly into the box marked 'Emotions' in the back of his mind to look over later. Or more likely never.

Kakashi watched his face lose all expression and nodded solemnly. "C'mon, let's save Rin."

It was an _I'm sorry, forgive me, _and _we've got work to do_ all wrapped up in one. Obito grinned, eyes warm for a second before anticipation overcame him. The boys shared a moment of cool victory, before bounding down to the ground below. Obito's adrenaline was pounding so violently, he hardly even felt his ribs.

They crept through the foliage. Kakashi found his way through the bushes so easily Obito wondered why he had felt the need to climb into the trees in the first place. Obviously the best way to get to the cave where Rin was held was right through _there_! He rolled his eyes, taking advantage of the moment to enjoy the sheer _detail_ his new eyes allowed him to observe. Kakashi turned to glare at him, so Obito assumed his enjoyment had been a little _too_ obvious. Mouthing an apology he forced his concentration on the mission.

The familiar numbness of _not feeling_ crept into his chest. His sight sharpened, and some distant curious part of him perked up in interest. That part was ignored in favor of noticing small twigs, loose pebbles and dry leaves that would crackle under his feet.

They approached the man's back. Kakashi glanced at Rin, feeling guilt swell in him as he took note of bruised arms, the split lip that covered her chin in blood, and the glassy eyes. "Her chakra's all weird." Obito breathed into his ear, careful to keep his voice breathy and light. "I think she's under gen-jutsu."

Kakashi nodded to him, swallowing thickly. "I'll get the gen-jutsu. You hold off the hostile until I'm done."

"Got it."

Kakashi waited for a second, then darted forward, already feeling Obito at his five' o'clock. He skidded past the Iwa-nin, feeling the man's surprise before Obito tackled him. Reaching over he made a chakra-dispelling seal and gave a loud, "Kai!"

Rin gasped, choked and spat out bile. Hazy eyes gradually blinked into clarity, but Kakashi couldn't sit around waiting for her to gather her wits. Obito was holding off the chuunin by himself. Same rank or not, Obito was much less experienced than his opponent. Kakashi lunged at the Iwa, and soon all three of them were moving in a deadly dance. Kakashi and Obito wove in and out, around each other like the ribbons used during festival dances. When Obito weaved down and left, Kakashi jumped up and right. When Obito slowed, Kakashi sped up.

Obito's eyes kept track of the Iwa-nin's movements, letting out small reactions whenever the man moved to do anything alarming, knowing that Kakashi would pick up on his subtle body language.

They kept the Iwa-nin off balance until finally Kakashi sprang forward and stabbed the man, quickly and efficiently. The boys stood over the body, gasping for air and breathing heavily. Obito groaned and would have slumped into a heap had Kakashi not grabbed him. "Obito!"

"I'm fine." Obito groaned. "Don't mind me." Kakashi slowly lowered them to the ground.

Rin quickly scrambled over, grabbing her bag from the corner where it had been thrown. She then scurried back to kneel beside the boys. Kakashi sat behind Obito, supporting his weight on his front. Obito coughed wetly, his lips staining red. Rin paled. "Obito, where are you hurt." She didn't give him time to answer, already pulling up his shirt and pressing along his side. Kakashi tightened his grip on Obito when the boy hissed, squirming.

"Hey, you're okay." Kakashi said awkwardly. Inwardly, the massive bruising on Obito's torso was ripping him apart. _If you'd been here. If you hadn't walked away. If you'd stayed._ Rin's hands carefully traced his ribs, not pausing despite Obito's weak complains that her pale hands were _cold_. Finally she sat back. "He has four cracked ribs. Two broken ones. One of them cut his lung, so I'm gonna repair the damage now." She stopped and cleared her throat. "Is that okay with you?"

Kakashi looked up from glaring at a poor helpless rock, and glanced at her guiltily. "Yeah, that's fine. Try to hurry through."

"What?" Obito gasped, struggling for air against the pain in his chest. "No, I'm fine. You got to complete the mission, remember?"

"The mission's no good if you're dead, Obito." Kakashi snapped. "There's no way I can plant all the charges by myself anyway. So shut up and stop arguing."

"But…"

"But what." Kakashi growled. "Who's the jounin here, you or me?"

Rin ducked her head to hide a grin, quickly channeling her chakra into Obito's side. "How'd you do this anyway? It's almost as if you ran into a tree branch." She stopped. "You didn't did you? Oh, um, forget I said that. Um, it's quite a common thing to do, actually. Though, usually, only genin or academy students… that's not helping, is it? Are you hurt anywhere else? What about you Kaka-chan?"

"Kaka-what?" Kakashi growled, glaring at her. Rin blushed and quickly returned to tending her other teammate. The preteens were concentrating so hard on Obito – or in Obito's case, trying to distract himself with anything else – they didn't notice the not-so-dead ninja behind them.

* * *

The Iwa-nin knew he was dying. Pain shot through him, followed closely by a cold numbness. He knew his teammate was probably dead. The big lug had gone looking for the intruders minutes ago, and he would have been back by now if he were still alive. He scowled, moving his hands to slowly make the necessary seals, wincing as each movement pulled on his skin. He smiled bitterly as he finished the final seal and slammed his fists into the ground. If he was going to die, he'd take them with him.

The cave rumbled, the roof crumbling into boulders in seconds. The enemy, the blasted Konoha nin, quickly realized what was happening and hurried to scramble out of the cave. Listening to their screams, the Iwa-nin smiled. It wouldn't all be futile.

* * *

Rin dodged, hurling herself sharply to the left as a large chunk of rock landed beside her. "Rin, move!"

Kakashi's shout spurred her into action again, and she quickly dashed forward, only to skid to a halt as a rock slammed into the ground in front of her and behind her. Before she could move again, she felt herself picked up and carried. Kakashi set her down and dashed back over to Obito, who was trying to make his own way out of the cave. Unfortunately, Obito's adrenaline was spent. He was feeling the pain in his ribs more than ever, and the bone-aching weariness that came after running on adrenaline for two hours made every movement heavy, like he had twenty kilos strapped on each foot. Kakashi dashed back to him, and tackled him out of the way of another boulder.

"Sorry Kakashi." Obito breathed. "Just leave me. Get Rin out."

"Shut up." Kakashi growled. He grabbed Obito by the arm and dragged him out of the way of another ginormous rock. How many rocks could there_ possibly_ be anyway? When he pushed/carried a yelling-in-pain Obito out of the way of another rock, Kakashi reckoned there was just enough to kill them. Rin made it to the exit of the cave and began spotting for them, calling out whenever there was a rock Kakashi couldn't see. Obito was blurry eyed, lips pressed together so hard he was white all the way to his cheeks.

Things went FUBAR when Kakashi slipped. Obito, who had been once again leaning against him, flew out of reach, and directly under a falling landslide of rocks and sand. "Obito!"

Kakashi knew, even as he started to move forward, that he wasn't going to make it. It didn't seem fair. He had worked so hard to get to this point. He and Obito had finally reached the understanding that had been missing. They had just rescued Rin. It had only been three minutes ago that they had been healing, laughing, recuperating for the next stage. Now Obito was going to die. In front of him. Feet away from him. Seconds away from help.

"_No_!"

* * *

It happened with an explosion of movement and action. One minute he was watching a wave of rubble crash down to kill his best friend, the next a female voice was screaming a jutsu and darting over Obito's prone form. He just managed to make out brown and blue colors, before the wall of sludge reversed, crashing back into the wall. Another blur dashed and picked Obito up, easily hoisting him so his ribs wouldn't be under any added pressure.

Another figure blurred in front of him and he felt himself being picked and flung over someone's shoulder. The impact knocked the breath out of him. Then things were blurring as he was rushed out of the cave in seconds, Obito only seconds behind him. Then he was being lowered to the ground, a quiet but intense voice asking him: "Are you hurt? Open your eyes, kid. Hey!"

He batted the hands away. "Kami, I'm not hurt." He growled, sitting up. "Rin. Status."

"I'm okay." She said weakly from where another person was bending over her. It hit Kakashi suddenly that the people surrounding them were familiar. Very familiar, actually, but not quite familiar enough to be part of the Konoha shinobi force. Then the woman attending Obito turned and Kakashi felt as if the breath had been knocked out of him again. It was Haruko.

"Is Rin okay?" The woman asked, still concentrated on the semi-conscious boy in front of her.

Tsuki was turned to the brown haired girl. "She seems fine to me. However, I have it on good authority – from the comments of a certain boy whose name starts with 'O' and ends with 'bito'– that you're quite the qualified medic yourself."

Rin blushed. "R-really?"

Tsuki giggled and leaned in to whisper, "But you didn't hear it from me."

Rin blushed deeper, if that were possible.

Sakura knelt over Obito, hands glowing a fierce and stunning emerald, matching eyes focused on whatever her chakra-covered hands were showing her. "Ino, I need oxygen, stat."

"Right." Ino turned and grabbed a small tank from somewhere. Kakashi strained to see past them, but found his view blocked by Ino, who was once again kneeling beside him. "Kakashi, I need you to lay down okay?"

"Obito… And what the…" He gagged when she shoved a pill into his mouth. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, we heard the commotion and decided to stop bye. Don't expect it to be a habit… Chew." Kakashi bit down on the pill, wincing at the bitter taste filled his mouth. _Food pill?_ "Obito's going to be fine. Right Sa-Haruko?"

Haruko had her hands on either side of Obito's body. At some point or other she'd cut off his shirt, which lay in tatters behind her. "Breathe." Kakashi watched as one of her hands rose, the other falling. Mouth tightening, the pink-haired lady swore. She rolled him onto his side. "Sorry about the pain, but you're just going to have to hold on for a little bit." She yanked off her shirt, leaving on a short top, revealing toned abs, and quickly rolled the green material into a tube and pressed it under his ribs. She reached into the pouch strapped onto her waist and pulled out a cargo bag which she quickly filled with dirt. She tapped across the asymmetrical side of his body, using gauze to hold it in place. That done, she sat back on her heals, wiping a hand across her forehead.

"His left side has multiple fractures. His right has a few breaks that I don't want to leave alone, so I'm just going to bind the broken ribs. Normally I wouldn't, but if you only leave them on for a day it shouldn't be a problem."

"Why wouldn't you?" Rin asked, from where the blind Tsuki was tending her. Rin was already cleaned up a lot, the blood wiped from her face, the bruises around her neck and cheeks faded to look a week old.

Haruko – if that was really her name – smiled at Rin as she rustled though her bag. "Well… a few years ago I wouldn't see a problem with it. Pressure on broken or bruised ribs lessens the pain – as long as it's in small quantities. Unfortunately, it also increases the chances of catching pneumonia. I wouldn't even wrap him up now, but I have a feeling you guys aren't going to go straight home."

Rin opened her mouth, but Tsuki rapidly put her hand over it, her mouth twisting in a semblance of a smile. "We don't need to know anything about what you're doing. We're already toeing a very delicate line, helping you as we are. According to the universal treaty we have with Iwa and Konoha, we are not supposed to interfere with the War."

Sakura was already pulling out another roll of tape as she began to feel along his ribs with chakra-sensitive fingers. Every once in a while she'd pull off some tape directly over the fractured rib, running across the sternum. She'd then place two pieces directly below and above it, so as to restrict movement and prevent pain. "Obito, I need you to cough for me. It's going to hurt, but it'll keep the liquid out of your lungs." She grabbed the tatters of jacket, looking at it despairingly. "H-Tsuki, Ino, do one of you have an extra shirt? A jacket or something?"

Tsuki quickly removed her flowing over dress, revealing a long-sleeved second skin below. She tossed it with surprising accuracy to Haruko who caught it without looking up. "When you cough, hold this to your ribs. It'll help." Glancing over to the team medic, she gave her instructions. "Rin, I need you to keep him coughing. Don't administer any narcotics. Do you have ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or naproxen sodium?"

Rin nodded, happy she could finally contribute something. "Hai, I haven't used any of our stock yet, so we should be good."

Haruko relaxed. "I know you're good a chakra healing, or you wouldn't be wearing that patch, but do you know how to surpass the foreign chakra boundaries?"

"The what?" Obito asked, gasping from where he lay on his side.

Haruko smiled at him. "Despite the excellent healing that chakra allows, it's not a magical cure-all. There's a very exact science in how you use it. As you train your body in ninja arts, your chakra veins increase, as do your chakra resources. When you get injured, a small amount of chakra is dispelled to help with the damage. It allows us to heal faster than civilians. Anyway, that absence of chakra leaves a gap, which medics then take advantage of. We insert our chakra into the hole left behind, guiding it to the injury where we speed up the healing process, repair damage etcetera. Unfortunately, if we saturate your body with too much chakra…"

"Chakra overload." Rin quietly supplied. "You'd die."

"Exactly." Ino added soberly. "And it's not an easy death. I've seen medics apply euthanasia rather than watch patients die like that." She snorted. "In some ways, it's almost easier to treat someone who's seconds away from death."

Kakashi finally had enough, and grunted as he forced himself to his feet, ignoring Ino's glare until she tripped him with a very clean cut under kick to the back of the knees. When he looked up angrily, Ino's mouth twisted into a grotesque facade of a smile. "Sit down," The blond threatened, eyes dark, "Before I _tie_ you down."

The boy gulped and quickly dropped to the ground, looking up at her as if to say, _See? Sitting down._ Ino gave him the evil eye anyway. "Obito, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Haruko was finally sitting Obito up, her ear pressed against his back, as hands glowing with green chakra ran down his sides.

"Breath in." She said quietly, still listening. "Let it out slowly… again…okay, we're done." She let the chakra fade from her hands, the bright glow vanishing. "I'll fill Rin-chan in on what I'll need her to do, and then I'm sure you guys have a mission to get back too. We've got to get to Suna in…" She looked up, mentally calculating. "Two days – eek." She made a face. "I'll have to tell Kiba to push it, doggone it."

"Are you sure? Akamaru's not as young as he used to be." Tsuki quipped, a humorless smile playing the corners of her mouth. Rin didn't get the joke, but there must have been one, because the blond threw back her head laughing harshly. Haruko rolled her eyes.

"Funny."

Kakashi had something on his mind, now that he knew his negligence hadn't killed his best friend. "How do you know medical-jutsu? I was under the impression that you were civilians."

The girls exchanged looks. "We are, Kaka-chan." Haruko stated calmly. "However, just because someone has chosen to be a civilian doesn't mean that they can't have had a colorful and adventure filled past. Our shinobi villages were destroyed years ago. New villages usually don't last long, after all. After the massacres, we eventually met and joined Naoki's rabble. None of us wanted to experience war like that again, but we still felt attached to our culture. Eventually, we decided to become a caravan, so we could still cling to some of our shinobi heritage, without being obliged to any one village. Understand?"

Kakashi didn't, and made it clear by fingering his weapons pouch. "I do not understand how shinobi could abandon their village, especially to join a 'rabble' of ninja from different villages."

Ino rolled her eyes. "Oh come of your high horse. Your Hokage knows we have some background in the Shinobi field. That's why it was in our contract to never get involved in any of the wars. Speaking of which, how are we going to resolve this. Tsuki?"

"I suppose we could accept payment. That way we could honestly say we did it for pay, and that we had no knowledge of an ongoing mission. Both are true."

"From a certain point of view, of course." Ino added, smirking. "I like it."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Of course you do, Ino. You like anything that has to do with twisting words, lying or deceiving. I'd be less disturbed if you weren't so good at it."

"Thank you!" Ino said, happily.

"It wasn't a compliment."

"It was to me."

"Well, you're twisted."

"Thanks!"

"_It wasn't a compliment._"

Tsuki turned around, glaring at them from behind her blind fold. "Ino, Haruko, stop it. You are almost as bad as _Sai_."

* * *

_Konoha_

Kushina sat in her window sill, her stormy gaze looking towards the battle that she knew was happening just twenty miles out of sight. Sighing and giving it up as a lost cause, she jumped down, wincing as pain shot through her leg and limped over to the bed. She was grounded. The doctors had been able to repair her broken – shattered, actually, but she wouldn't admit to that – leg, but the damage had been such that they wanted her off the field for another three weeks. Three _weeks._ As if they could afford for any capable shinobi to be sitting around that long, especially a jounin.

Tairu and Kaito were out there, fighting alongside Minato even now. Though they were out of seeing (and hearing) distance, she imagined she could feel the ground tremble whenever one of they used one of those special jutsu they were so proud of. Minato was probably darting all over like an evil chipmunk on a caffeine and sugar high. Kushina growled, slamming her fist into the bed. She should be out there, guarding his – _their_– backs. Minato was an idiot. He didn't know how to take care of himself.

Sure, he could dodge like a wildfire was chasing his little flopping coat, but he never remembered to eat when on the field, and he always spent so much time worrying about the team that he forgot to sleep. She would know, doggone it. She's been on so many missions with him recently, she knew his habits as well as her own – even better probably, because she still insisted she didn't yell more when worried, and everyone else insisted she did.

She knew he would worry his bottom lip when memorizing, twirl the hair in front of his ear if concentrating. He'd miss meals when worried, and pace around the camp when antsy. He always slurped his ramen, claiming that it made the noodles tastier, even if it did burn his lips and the roof of his mouth. He'd always complain loudly when he wanted to do something but didn't want _her_ to know he wanted to do it, and would go still and quiet when he had to do something he _really_ didn't want to do.

He'd blush like a girl with her first crush when anyone mentioned _anything _about girls he might, did, or should like, and would change the subject rapidly whenever she asked him who he liked _now._ And whenever he asked her _why_ in the _picke'n'samhill_ was she so _curious_, she'd either punch him in the face or laugh. Her? Curious? As if.

Then she would ask him again, just to see if he might tell her.

Tairu and Kaito – who were back to their normal selves – would nudge each other and nod, winking. Kushina pretended not to know what they were thinking, and then beat them up a bit more during training time, just to be sure they got the hint. Gossiping about any Uzumaki's love life – real or imagined, and it was definitely imagined in this case – was a big no-no.

It didn't help that Minato and Kushina had found themselves spending more and more time together. Kushina would find herself barging into Minato's two bedroom flat, already ranting about this, that or the other thing. It didn't matter if Minato had been asleep or in the middle of a really cool new seal, he would listen and nod calmly. Every once in a while, she would see his tells – pressing lips together, furrowed brow, hooded eyes – and sit down and quietly let him grieve the death of whichever friend had died that month.

They would sit in silence, Minato staring down at empty hands, face white. Kushina wouldn't say anything, she would simply took his hands in hers and reminded him without words that _she's still here_. The first and last time Kushina saw Minato cry was after his teammate and long time friend had been killed in a skirmish only one mile from Konoha's walls. Ten minutes from safety. Nineteen seconds from Minato's help. She held him as sobs wracked his strong, lean body and never mentioned it again.

Minato would train with her, correcting her form by showing it to her, knowing from experience if he pointed it out bluntly, she'd slam the criticism down and never consider it until she was wounded for real. Whenever she ended up in the hospital – which she inevitably did at least bi-monthly – Minato would sit with her up on the roof while she yelled insults at the pedestrians and threw rocks at the messenger boys. Once she managed to hit a Uchiha, and Minato laughed himself helpless as they ran for their lives. Well, he ran. She hobbled.

Or at least, that was her excuse when she was caught. Injured, anyone?

But she'd never actually been _grounded_ before. It was all Minato's fault too.

Once again, the oh-so-invincible Yellow Flash had been passing up sleep, choosing instead to keep watch with the sentries. Usually, nothing happened as a result of this. However, he had been training Kakashi for weeks in order to have him ready to survive the Jounin exams. He'd been working on that stupid Rasen-whatever, and had managed to drain his chakra to such amounts that he didn't have the normal levels of chakra in order to pull a week's worth of all-nighters. Normally, Kushina would have put him to bed, swearing to keep an eye on the 'kids' while he was under. Unfortunately, Iwa had decided to attack four minutes after dawn, before Kushina could sway him into taking an adequate amount of rest.

Minato had been off his game, exhaustion finally catching up to him. Kushina looked up from where she had disposed a creep of an Iwa-nin, only to see Minato about to be killed by a hole opening up in the ground to swallow him. She had knocked him out of the way, but her lower body had gotten caught in the closing crevice. Pain caused her vision to white out, and she vaguely remembered realizing the screaming voice was hers before she blacked out. When she'd come too, it was in a med tent, Minato leaning over her begging her not to die, not for him.

She groggily lifted up her head and asked, "If not for you, then who, you dumb…"

She blacked out again before she could finish her sentence, but not before seeing the look on his face. The throbbing pain had been such that not even unconsciousness could take it away, and she'd truly wished she'd just die and get it over with. She'd come to in the hospital, white walls surrounding her, the sting of medicine up her nose, and several IV's plugged into her arm. Minato sat beside her, slumped over, his face planted into her side. One hand held hers, the grip loosened in sleep. The other was flung over her waist as if to hold her there.

She pulled out her hand, quirking a smile when Minato's face went stormy, and gently brushed her fingers through his hair. The remaining tension seeped out of his shoulders as he relaxed further, his face smoothing out. It was just her luck that her stupid teammates had to come in at _that _moment and catch her red handed. Her startled jump woke Minato, who sleepily smiled at her, before double taking and realizing, "Hey, Kushina's awake."

Then the stupid idiot had to go and kiss her.

In front of Tairu, Kaito, and about twenty other witnesses, not including the nurses and doctors. And then he announced he had a mission and had to go, even before she could gather her thoughts enough to ask with much swearing and loud shouts what _that_ had been. He'd dragged her traitorous, snickering teammates away with him, so she'd only been able to swear half the room into silence.

And that was how she found herself here, sitting on the bed of her single room apartment, gazing out over towards to (the) battle field, wondering if he was still alive for her to kill him herself.

* * *

_The Bridge_

_Konoha/Iwa Border_

Obito was hunched over, arms thrown protectively over his ribs. Rin sat beside him, chattering about anything that crossed her mind, which included puppies, flowers, new medical techniques, and how clouds could be so fluffy and yet not be made of cotton. Or, at least that's what he thought she said. He wasn't really listening at this point, more interested in watching Sensei dash back and forth, making sure everyone was well kept. He was currently over at the main tent, plotting out the next battle field, planning with several other jounins how to mobilize the chuunin and genin.

Rin glanced up at him. "Obito, are you listening?"

"Hyuh?" Obito garbled, attention drawn sharply back to the brown-haired girl beside him. Rin sighed.

"Never mind, it wasn't that important anyway." She fell silent, her own eyes clouded over in thought. Obito took the moment to just watch her. It was something he'd found himself doing, more and more over the last years. Rin had cut her hair short after becoming a genin. She'd experimented with several different styles, eventually settling for a very attractive but practical shoulder length strait-across. It might have kept her from becoming a liability several times, but Obito didn't think it suited her. It made her seem younger than her thirteen years. Brown eyes were as large as always, he thought in amusement.

The bruise on her cheek looked weeks old, instead of fresh as it had before Tsuki had healed it up a bit. Her lip was still split, and she moved cautiously, as if sore. It made Obito wonder what had happened to her, thinking that Tsuki wouldn't have skimped unless she had a shortage of chakra. Rin wouldn't talk about it, saying simply that they had interrogated her, and that she hadn't said anything. Obito responded that of course she hadn't said anything, but that didn't make it any less traumatizing. Kakashi had quickly left at that point, but Obito could have sworn he saw a flash of guilt in his teammates eyes.

Obito sighed, wincing as pain surged though his chest cavity despite the medical care he'd been provided with. "Rin, you should lay down. I need to see Kakashi."

She didn't respond, causing Obito to sit up and look at her, leaning over to try to meet her eyes. Rin looked down at her chapped and calloused hands. "It's not his fault, you know?"

Obito stopped. "What?"

"Kakashi – it's not his fault. He doesn't have to feel guilty about not coming to rescue me. The mission…" She trailed off, looking up but still away from Obito's wide eyes. "I knew, when I was captured. I knew he wouldn't come."

"Rin…" Obito breathed, reaching out toward her. Rin smiled at him, eyes warm, but sad. "He… he didn't know... know how to…" Obito struggled to explain even though he hadn't quite grasped Kakashi's mindset himself.

"I know." Rin said quietly. "But he does now."

He hovered, torn between getting as far away from the girl as possible or sitting down and comforting her. He gradually sank back to the floor, a hand stopping on her shoulder. Rin's smile wavered before slow tears made their way down her face. Her shoulders bowed, hunched over as she began to shake. Obito felt his throat close, as he held the hurting girl gingerly, trying not to wince as her shudders battered his sides.

Obito knew his crush on Rin had been obvious to everyone since they were kids. He'd never been able to hide it, and hadn't really wanted to. It'd been a joke between him and his friends for years, only to become a forbidden topic after _Rin's_ very large crush on _Kakashi_ had become common knowledge. Obito had quietly hidden any signs of his growing – dare he think it – love for Rin, preferring to be a friend than a nothing.

When Rin turned to him, tears twisting her face grotesquely, making her nose run and her whole face red, Obito pulled her into a hug.

"I-it _hurts_." She said between gasps for air.

"I know."

* * *

Rin was asleep when Obito finally left. Minato had arrived, harried and worn out, but alert. He knew at a glance that Rin had been crying, needing even less than that to know Kakashi wasn't anywhere around. Quietly informing the boy he'd be staying with Rin, he sent the Uchiha out to look for their team leader. So here he found himself, stumbling around in the dark trying _not_ to present himself a target by anyone on the opposite bank, or trip over anyone on _this_ side of the river, while trying to locate their still elusive teammate.

_You'd think someone with white hair would be easier to spot_, Obito complained sulkily. _Why do I have to go look for him? I'm the one who's injured!_ He finally spotted the teen sitting below one of the many trees behind the camp, his many dogs surrounding him. Obito crossed over, careful to make more than enough noise to alert Kakashi to his whereabouts. "Hey, you okay?"

Kakashi stayed silent, his hand moving monotonously over the fur of his newest puppy – Pakoof, Pakom, or something or other. Obito flopped down beside him, content that Kakashi hadn't told him to go away. They stayed like that for a long time.

Obito – never one for long attention spans – began to shift nervously, humming a tune under his breath, nimble fingers tapping a rapid beat on his knee. Kakashi glared at him out of the corner of his eye, but Obito ignored him.

"What's it about?"

"Huh?" Obito stared at Kakashi blankly.

"The song."

"Oh, it's a lullaby. It's about a ninja who falls in love with a civilian girl. But then he goes off to war, promising to come back for her. For or to? – I don't remember. Anyway, he's reported KIA, and she…"

Kakashi cut him off with a grunt. "Does everything have to revolve around death?" Obito stopped, mouth still open. Kakashi spoke haltingly. "When I was three, my.. my dad decided I should follow his footsteps. I certainly wasn't complaining. Dad was… everything I wanted to be. He was my hero." Kakashi stopped, hands fisting into the fur of one of the shaggier dogs. The mutt whined, reaching up to lick his face. "After committing… after he died, everything became about war. The friends I made, the people I associated with. Everything was to remove the stain from our name. Everything was about stopping the war _we_ started."

For once, Obito didn't say anything, letting Kakashi breathe harshly beside him.

"When I found him… I'd just been made chuunin, you know? I just… I just wanted him to be proud. To know he wasn't a failure." Kakashi shuddered. "It was all for nothing. I promised myself I'd never turn into that kind of trash. I promised myself I wouldn't make the same mistakes he did."

Obito turned to his friend, curious. "Why did you follow me? I mean, you were bent on finishing the mission…"

"What you said… did you really mean it?"

"Huh?"

"About my dad." Kakashi was looking down again.

Obito smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, I meant it. What your dad did… that would have been a tough decision. In the end, I think he made the right one." Kakashi was very still, dark eyes fixed on a point somewhere deep in the ground. "But, what you did? I think that would have been even harder."

Kakashi looked up. "What?"

"Going back for Rin – that went against everything you've ever believed about you, your dad, hey, even me. It's been your code of life for years. But turning away from that – that was brave. It was right."

Getting up, Obito brushed himself off. "Well, don't stay out too long. Minato-sensei has us reporting back to Konoha with the wounded. We wouldn't want to leave without our fearless leader because he was still in the sack, now would we?"

Grinning, Obito walked away, only to be struck in the head by the rock Kakashi hurled at him. "Shut up, deadlast."

And everything was right in the world once again.

* * *

_Suna_

Kakashi was humming. Incessantly. For hours. Without stopping. Since they'd left Konoha. Unceasing. Continually. Shikamaru's eye twitched. He could understand Kakashi's euphoria at having saved his childhood friend, but if the older man kept it up for much longer, Shikamaru do more than just repeat himself and use cut off sentences. The formerly silver-haired man reached an all new high note, and Shikamaru snapped. "Would you shut up!"

Kakashi, instead of looking cowed as the Nara had privately hoped, laughed. Actually _laughed._ Shika glanced at him, startled. Naruto poked his head out from the wagon, staring in shock at his sensei. "Did he just laugh?"

* * *

They stopped a day out from the Hidden Village. Naruto pulled the wagon aside and they all gathered around. Sai and Kiba were sent off to find firewood or brush to burn. While they were dragging their findings over, Chouji got barbecue and ramen ready to cook. The girls pulled out a few boards from the wagon to make a table, throwing some of Ino's cloth over to make a table cloth.

Then: They partied.

Today had marked their first major victory and proven that they actually _could_ change the past.

They sat around, sharing stories and laughing. Shinsei had already gone to bed – Hinata not taking a 'no' for an answer – so they felt free to regale each other with old stories that they hadn't pulled out and dusted off in months. They had great fun reviving memories of Neji drunk and singing karaoke – quite badly – or Kiba going on a half hour rant during Meet A Real Ninja Day at the Academy about lousy scum of the earth that hated dogs. He'd never been asked back.

It was debatable if that had been his intention or not.

Neji retaliated by sharing funny stories about missions with Gai. They were hilarious in retrospect, but they had been mortifying for Ten-Ten and him at the time. Lee took the ribbing good naturedly,and (in a good-natured fashion and) passed the buck with a tale of Ten-Ten's first try with a sword. They lulled a little bit, before the conversation took a darker turn when they began retelling war tales.

Those who had been in ANBU opened up about the formerly classified missions. The shinobi assigned to Delegation complained about meetings they had been forbidden from ranting about until now. Occasionally a darkly humorous recount found its way in. Tenten and Shino featured often, as well as Gai, Anko, Iruka, and Asuma. Kakashi took the time to inform the Konoha Nine about some interesting – humiliating, blackmail worthy – things that happened back in the day.

By the time he was finished, Lee looked constipated, Chouji and Shikamaru were pale faced, Hinata looked shell shocked, Ino was grinning sadistically, and Neji had his face buried in his hands. Kiba was laughing helplessly, shoulders shaking. Sai threw in a story about Kakashi, tomatoes, and a dog in heat, and soon Team Seven joined in with the jeering.

Finally Sakura stood up. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going to drink plenty of water and get to bed."

"Aw… Sakura-chan!" Naruto complained. "We're just getting started?"

Rolling her eyes, Sakura pointed at the rapidly pinker sky. "…Just getting started?"

"Ehehe…" Was Naruto's only retort. In his defense, he was four bottles worth on the wrong side of sober. Sighing, Sakura reached over and pulled him up.

"Let's put you to bed, okay tough guy?" She pulled him in the direction of the wagon.

"Do you remember our first mission?" Naruto's voice was soft, his weight comfortable against her.

She thought about it, her mind trudging back, trying to get a decent idea of which mission had been her first. "No." She answered quietly.

"I do." Naruto sighed, his heavy form sagging. "Catching a cat. Man, Sasuke was so mad." He chuckled sadly. "Not that he showed it much."

"Not then at least." Sakura replied. "I've always wondered if he opened up more, or if we just got better at reading him." She set him down on his 'bed' pulling the covers over him.

Naruto laughed, shooting her a 'are you kidding me?' look before sitting up. He wasn't going to bed yet, so neither was she. Sighing once again – she did that a lot – Sakura sat down beside him. "Probably both." Naruto acknowledged. "He smiled more, before he…"

"Yeah."

Naruto suddenly laughed, leaning back on his elbows. "Remember when we had that surprise birthday party?"

Sakura groaned. "How could I forget. That was the worst planned party _ever_. Did anything go right?"

"Well… we made a cake…"

"Only to have it stolen."

"We cleaned up the house?"

"Then a certain blond knuckle-headed ninja had to play a prank and messed it all up again."

"Hey! That was a great prank!"

"Naruto – you put paint over his door, dyed his clothes pink, and dumped –"

"Yeah well, he deserved it." They were sitting shoulder to shoulder now. _Or rather, lying shoulder to shoulder,_ Sakura mused. She couldn't remember the last time they'd done this. Not since they'd started their façade anyway. After Naruto had come back… no, even before that. After the mission to Wave, all members of Squad Seven had begun opening up. It startled simply – a small touch here, an inane comment there. Slowly it grew, until they were meeting regularly to eat dinner or stopping by each other's houses if they were bored. Before they knew it, it wasn't uncomfortable for her to lean on Naruto, Sasuke didn't mind when she absentmindedly played with his hair when they were sitting around a campfire, and Sakura learned not to flinch when Naruto would fling an arm around her.

Small talk turned deeper, until they were past awkward comments about the weather and uncomfortable silences. Instead, silence was companionable – another thing to be shared. When Naruto had come home, it had changed again. Instead of the pyramid, the triangle, the trio, there was only an unbalanced two. They were a tripod with a missing leg. So they adapted.

They changed.

Not only that, but age had brought maturity. Shared tragedy had brought connection. Separation had brought fondness. A mixture of the three brought intimacy. Not the romantic kind, though there had been a time that Sakura had turned that thought over in her mind. Instead, they became best friends, brother and sister, comrades. Suddenly Naruto was popping in and out of her new apartment like he lived there, so much that Sakura had a change of clothes always ready. And Sakura would be cleaning his house as if it where her own, complaining all the while about how he would probably be perfectly content living in a pigsty.

Sometimes they would sit, just like this, on someone's bed and talk. Lots of times it was about Sasuke. Eventually, it mutated into aspects of their days, and soon after that, the deepest parts of their hearts.

"It's been a long time since we've done this." She said it out loud, part of her hoping Naruto would agree. Naruto sighed, slouching a little closer to her.

"Un." Then he yawned. "Man, I'm drunk."

Sakura snorted. "No you're not. We don't have enough sake in the whole wagon to get you drunk. Stupid Jinchuuriki metabolism. Of course, that also explains why you can eat so much."

"Hey!" Naruto protested. "I don't eat _that_ much!"

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you _do."_

"_No,_ I don't!"

"Naruto – you ate twenty four bowls of Ramen. In _one_ sitting!"

"And?"

"Forget it." Sakura huffed, falling back against his shoulder. Naruto grinned in victory, mouthing a nearly silent, 'Yatta!' Sakura punched him for good measure. _Can't have the boy getting too cocky._

They sat in silence for a while, before Naruto finally spoke up again, his voice hesitant. Timid even, except that 'timid' and 'Naruto' should never be placed in the same sentence unless separated by a very emphatic '_not.'_ "Sakura… do you think that… when you, I… Sasuke, when we graduate this time around…Do you think we'll be placed on the same team?"

"Definitely. If not as genin, then as chuunin. Or even jounin. Doesn't matter. We're Team Seven, and we're always gonna be Team Seven." Sakura spoke confidently. "And besides, what good is a little time travel if we can't nudge them a little here and there. Give them some…" She sneered. "Hints."

Now Naruto did laugh. "Sakura, you kill me."

"I try." She said, shrugging.

The blond rolled his eyes, grateful that the darkness would hide his expression, or else he would have had another bruise to add to his collection.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Sai asked quietly, slinking out of the shadows. Immediately the duo moved over, giving Sai room on the 'bed.' The painter sat smoothly, dark eyes taking in his teammates.

Sai was another change. A big one, but one that had helped them move on. As they sat there, talking until the sun had come up, and the rest of the camp was stirring, Sakura once again realized that they would forever and always be Team Seven.

* * *

Konoha

_Village Gates_

Kushina paced restlessly. Or, she tried. The crutches made it slow going, but then again, the whole point of pacing was to eat up time, so she didn't care. Plus, it was so much fun to tease Rouma and Ryo. Poor Rouma still hadn't learned that Ryo loved getting a reaction. Right now he had the poor chuunin searching for a nonexistent document, supposedly very important, that had accidentally gotten thrown away. It wouldn't have been such a good prank, had the genin responsible for garbage not come and taken the trash away. Kushina – loudly – wondered how Rouma hadn't figured it out yet, then chalked it up to male stupidity.

Typically, she would have been helping with the torment. Who would pass up a chance to wind up an uptight perfectionist, after all? But, today was an exception. Today, Minato got back from the field. Today, Minato _died_! Muttering darkly, she started to pace again. _Twenty-two steps from one side of the gate to the other. Twelve from the gate to the guard stand. Thirty-two from the guard shack to the opposite corner of the gate. Repeat._

Muttering, she cursed him to a fiery pit with no ramen, no sake, no bed, and bright lights. Then she wondered if it would perhaps just be better to rip him to shreds. Or better yet, kiss him, see him react, and then never give him the time of day again. "See how he likes _that."_

"How _who_ likes _what_?" Obito's scandalized voice startled her, and she jerked her head up as the Uchiha was carried in front of her on a stretcher. (Uchiha was carried by on a stretcher.)

"What happened to _you?_" She asked, eyes wide.

Rin snorted. "He decided to do an impression of a monkey and missed."

"Rin-chan!" Obito protested.

"What? It's _true_!"

Kakashi was silent, standing like a sentinel beside his friend. His eyes were crinkled up at the edges though, so she assumed he was smiling. She shook her head. "You'll have to tell me about that later. For now, do you know where your sensei is?"

"Yeah, but I'm not sure I should tell you…" Obito trailed off as Kushina's killer intent filled the surrounding area.

"_Why not_?" She growled out through gritted teeth. The medics carrying the stretcher gulped.

Kakashi sighed. "I believe he is referring to the rather vivid threats you were making against his person when we walked up." He raised an eyebrow. "Castration?"

"He deserves it." She muttered surly. Rin giggled.

"Well, we won't tell you…" She smirked. "But we will point!"

As Kushina dashed off – okay, hobbled off, but who cares? – she decided to buy that girl chocolate for a week.

* * *

He hadn't been sure what to expect when he got home. Awkwardness, sure. Anger – definitely. But everything else was a mystery. "I'm so dead."

"This one thinks you should have thought of that before you kissed her." Minato wondered why Kushina's teammates couldn't be more encouraging. Honestly, was it too much to give the guy a break? A little 'you'll survive' perhaps? Glancing at Tairu out of the corner of his eye and despaired at finding any sympathy. The freak was _enjoying_ this. He scowled, slumping down on the ground to pout. With his legs folded up, his arms crossed over his chest, his shoulders hunched and a pout on his face, the great and fearsome Yellow Flash was reduced to looking like a sulking kid. Which was probably the only reason Kushina didn't kill him when she rounded the bend.

Minato flinched. _She's still on crutches_. Guilt welled up in him, and he looked down, shoulders slumped. He'd been trying to forget that part. _Had_ forgotten that part for a blissful week. Vaguely he noticed Tairu and Kaito slinking away. His own gaze remained firmly on the floor in front of him.

"Hey." Kushina said quietly, her feet coming to his line of sight. They were still swollen, streaked with purple and red from the broken blood vessels ruptured during the trauma. Only so much foreign chakra could be introduced into someone's body for a period of time, and the doctors had been more concerned with making sure she could walk again than making her look pretty. He swallowed thickly and looked away.

"Hey." He whispered back. His voice was thick, he noticed absently. Kushina sighed, rolling her eyes as she threw her crutches aside. "Hey!" Minato exclaimed angrily, quickly jumping up to help her to the ground. "Don't do that, you could ruin—"

"Minato." Kushina growled. "Sit down. I am not having this conversation looking up." Minato stared at her for a second before flopping down in front of her reluctantly. Kushina took a moment to study him. He was dirty, sweaty and stunk. Two days growth covered his face, and judging from his breath, he hadn't brushed his teeth in over twice as long. Dark half moons circled the bottom of his eyes. Blue orbs were dull, weary. Sad.

Kushina sat back, leaning on her elbows. _Guilt._ That's what she saw. "Have you been sleeping? Or are you still doing your god impersonation?"

Minato glanced at her sharply, "What?"

Lifting up her head haughtily, Kushina stuck her nose into the air. "I'm Namikaze Minato. I don't need sleep, I don't have to eat, and yet somehow I will always be alert and pay attention." She lowered her head to look at him pointedly. Minato's jaw clenched and he looked away. Kushina sighed.

"I saw Obito on the way in." Minato jerked, his jaw tight "He looked…" She tilted her head suggestively.

"He nearly died." Minato supplied. "Would have died, _should_ have died. If they hadn't…"

"They?" Kushina lifted an eyebrow, curious.

Minato sighed. "The caravan. They were passing by saw some of the battle. Got Obito out, healed them up and sent them on their way." His smile was wry. "Looks like Harko (Haruko)-san, Ino-san, and Tsuki-san are medic-nin. Surprise, surprise."

Kushina nodded. "Not really."

Minato blinked. "What?"

"Naoki – he was definitely a ninja. Probably jounin, if I had to guess. And that Katashi – he has the look of a former ANBU." When Minato continued to stare at her one part incredulously, one part impressed and two parts angry, she smirked and tapped her cheeks under her eye sockets. "It's all in the eyes."

"And you didn't _report_ it?" Minato asked, dumbfounded.

Kushina smacked him atop the head. "Of course I did, doofus! They were under observation for a year before it was concluded they weren't a threat." She rolled her eyes. "Didn't report it my eye."

Namikaze sighed. "Look, I don't want to fight with you… not right now."

Kushina stopped, and looked closer. He was ready to drop. She'd bet anything he'd been running on adrenaline all week, probably keeping that infernal watch again. Growling deep in her chest, she tugged him over, ignoring his confused yelp, and pulled his head into her lap.

He froze. "Kushina, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to sit here. _You _are going to take a nap." Reaching up she unbuckled his pack, set it aside before digging out a blanket. As he stretched out, she folded it over his overly tall and lanky form. Gradually he relaxed, his muscles loosening from their tightly bunched groups. "You shouldn't blame yourself, you know."

"What?" He mumbled.

"For my legs." He tensed again. "Minato?"

He lay tense and coiled against her, as if readying for an attack. He shot up to face her, jaw clenched so tight she wouldn't have been surprised if his teeth hurt. He glared at her. "How can you say that? If it hadn't been for me you would have stayed away. You wouldn't have…" He looked down. "Your lower body was crushed. They didn't think they could save you. At the very least you weren't supposed to walk again, and it would have been my fault, Kushina." He looked up. "If I had paid more attention, if I had just gotten a little more rest, if I…" He cut off when Kushina clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Yeah, you probably could have slept more, but really Minato, I'm a grown woman." She scowled. "Buck up. You sound like a fresh recruit on the field. 'If this', 'if that' can't change what _is_. And stop feeling guilty! Or don't tell me you failed that class."

"Class?" He blinked.

"The No-Guilt No-Blame Class, or whatever it's called. You've been a shinobi long enough to know that stuff happens, and if you hold onto it too long, it'll kill you. And I won't let you do that. Not over me." She pulled him back down.

"Now I'm pretty sure you haven't slept in a while, so I'll only tell you once more – go to sleep!"

Minato tried to protest, but then wondered why he bothered. He was asleep within minutes.

* * *

The first thing he was aware of was the smell of honey and lilies. Then was the blessed feel of waking up after a long sleep. Or, well, waking up into another dream, because there was no way this _wasn't _a dream. Kushina holding him, running fingers through his hair, singing softly could in no way, shape or form be happening. _But it is._ "Kushina?..." He asked sleepily. Immediately the quiet singing above him cut off.

"Aa." Her fingers tugged through his hair, soothing him. "You ready to wake up yet?"

"Nnngh."

"Eloquent." She laughed. Minato reluctantly lifted his head.

"Ten more minutes?" He grinned at her innocently. When she slapped him on the back of the head, he laughed and pushed himself up, flipped to his feet and turned around to give her a hand. She reached up, only to find herself flying as he pulled her into his arms.

"Minato!" He winced when she shrieked right into his ear. "Put me down!"

Smiling, he hefted her into a fireman's hold, making sure to slap her on the rump. "Let's get you back home, eh? You shouldn't be up so much yet."

"_Mi_-_na-to!"_ She jabbed her elbow into his kidney, and drew back her knee to kick him in the side. The blond _oofed_, his hold loosening. Kushina took the opportunity to slither down his front, only to find herself trapped in the cage of his arms.

"Where do you think you're going? You can't stand by yourself yet." Iron arms held her up from the ground, her toes barely touching. Kushina scowled.

"Cheater." A slow smirk curled the corner of her mouth. Minato glanced at her warily, knowing from experience that nothing good came from that smile. Eyes glowing with mischief, she reached up and pulled his head down. His lips were dry and chapped and still against hers. He was frozen, mouth cracked in the middle of a word. When he didn't respond Kushina drew back, amused and a little bit insulted. She looked at him with one eyebrow lowered. Shocked, blue eyes met hers, and she smirked. Then Minato was moving, picking her up and pulling her to him. His mouth met hers with a fervor that shocked her. The kiss warmed her, filling her with a burn that started at her toes and ended somewhere in her chest. Pulling back slightly, she gasped out, "Minato, what are you doing."

Minato smirked at her, eyes dark. "Kissing you."

Then he ducked down again, his mouth coming down on hers with the hunger of a wolf. Hoisting her up so that he had his arms under her thighs, he held her close, as she cradled his face in her hands. Kushina sighed against his mouth and pulled back, laughing breathlessly as he tried to follow her. She rested her forehead against his, a gentle smile playing at her mouth.

"What was that for?" Minato finally asked. He grinned. "Not that I'm complaining or anything."

Kushina smirked back and kissed him again so she wouldn't have to answer.

* * *

_Suna_

They'd been here three days, and Neji was already itching to leave. Quite literally actually. There was sand in his hair, between the layers of his clothes, in his shoes, in his eyes, ears, and nose. It scratched against his skin when he moved, sat or lay down. So he compromised by standing as still as possible so as not to shift his clothing, eyes forward staring blankly at the wall. Lee's clothes were scattered around his side of the room, nearly breaching the invisible line to Neji's side. After a long mission in which the boys had first been forced to share a room, Neji had quickly laid down some ground rules after he'd nearly burst a blood vessel trying to keep the room tidy.

Lee's stuff stayed on _his_ side. No socks, underwear, shorts, or shirts were to breach the middle of the room. No training equipment was to be spread out inside. No alarm clocks could go off at four frikin' fifteen in the morning, no matter _what_ Lee had promised to do for some random person. No exceptions.

In contrast, Neji's side of the room was strictly controlled. All weapons were arranged in an orderly fashion for easy equipment. His clothes were stacked in easy to access piles, planned so he could grab a change of clothing off the top and not mess up the pile. Dirty clothes were piled in a corner hidden by his bed so he didn't have to see them unless he needed too. His contacts, toothbrush, and other hygiene products were lined across one side of the sink, unlike Lee's who's personal effects were scattered all across the counter. It was times like these when Neji missed Tenten a lot. She was the one who slept in the middle, who cleaned up Lee's space just enough so it wouldn't drive Neji insane, while letting a few things get scattered on Neji's territory so his perfectionism wouldn't make Lee feel trapped. Her own space – always in the middle – was a mix between the two of them. She took as much, if not more, care of her innumerable weapons as Neji, while scattering her clothes every which way.

More than once the boys had come across one of her… more embarrassing… personal effects. It usually ended with them running away from a hail of kunai and arrows yelling apologies over their shoulders to the irate Kunoichi.

Sighing, Neji gave up his search for comfort as a bad job all around and sat down on the bed. He flopped down so his hands were clasped behind his head. _Tenten…_

He missed her fiercely. Two years had dulled the pain, but it couldn't take away the loneliness. Tenten had been closer to him than anyone he'd ever known, closer than Gai, Lee, or any of the Konoha Nine. The knock on the door tore him from his thoughts. Scowling, Neji marched over and yanked it open. A nonchalant Kiba stood calmly. "Oi, I'm gonna hide in here for a while. Ino's recruiting helpers." Brushing past the frozen Hyuuga, the Inuzuka flopped down on Neji's bed.

Raising an eyebrow as his eyes wandered, he smirked at Neji. "OCD much?"

Neji spurred into movement, picking up one of Lee's sweaty and stinky shirts and hurling it at the messy-haired teen. "Shut up." Kiba pulled of the shirt, looking nauseated.

"Oh gross! You know how sensitive my nose is!" He wrinkled the aforementioned appendage, cringing. "Great, now I'm gonna smell that for the rest of the day." Standing up, he stretched. "So what are you doing, sulking away in here? Sun too bright for your vampiric tendencies?"

Neji flipped him the bird. "No, I'm just trying to avoid inane conversation."

"Aka: moping." Kiba muttered under his breath. He was already going through Neji's weapons inventory, picking up random pieces, then throwing them aside haphazardly when done. Lifting up a strange weapon that looked like a mix of a knife and a crossbow, he sniffed it, asking, "Hey, what's this?"

"That," Neji replied, snatching it out of the dog user's hand. "Is mine. What are you really doing here?"

Kiba made his way to the bathroom, uncapping the toothpaste and squirting some on his finger. "I already told ya – avoiding Ino. She needs dishwashers, and when you're in one of your _moods_ she doesn't like to bother you, and the last place she'll think to find me is with you. Thus," He stuck his finger into his mouth. "Hmm, good toothpaste. What kind is it? Anyway, I'm here to avoid her."

Neji snatched the tube out of Kiba's hand, annoyance increasing when he noticed Kiba had squeezed from the middle instead of the bottom. "You know, if you keep this up you'll be leaving here with bruises."

Kiba grinned. "Now, that's something I can work with."

Neji raised an eyebrow. "Did you just come here to annoy me into fighting with you?"

"…Maybe."

It was beneath his dignity as a member of the Hyuuga clan to roll his eyes, bash his head against the wall, or growl. It was considered treason to attack a fellow leaf shinobi with an intention to kill without reason. But then again, it was also forbidden to be branch member without a bird cage seal, so nothing prevented Neji from wrapping his hands around Kiba's neck and _squeezing_. He'd been provoking enough. Unfortunately, Dog-Boy was slicker than Neji had accounted for, sliding away towards the door, a cocky grin on his face. _Kuso, I want to knock that look off. _

Throwing caution to the wind, he charged after the laughing Inuzuka, determined to beat the arrogant SOB to death with a bone. Wouldn't _that_ be irony?

* * *

Shinsei was in Hell.

A fluffy, girly hell where older boys were trapped for all eternity, playing with china sets and dolls. How'd he get roped into this? Oh yeah, it was all Uncle Lee's fault. _I'm gonna rip him apart. A good earth jutsu should do the trick. Should I bury him alive, or rip him to shreds with sharp rocks? Or maybe I should trap him with quick sand. Yeah, that'd be good._

"Sh-i-kun!" Temari exclaimed holding up her tea cup. Shinsei twitched. The girl was two. Were kids supposed to be so annoying at the age of two? He certainly hadn't been. The vein under his eye throbbed as he picked up the kettle to 'serve' the girl, her stuffed raccoon and two other dolls he'd heard Ino call 'barbies.' Strange, he'd always thought barbies were the dumb girls who couldn't tell the sharp end of a kunai if it cut all the way through their throat. The girl babbled on, chattering so fast he couldn't make out one word from another. Instead, he nodded politely and continued plotting Lee's death.

_Shinobi Killing Arts 543: Attaching wire neck-level__across a doorway. Defects: Could catch non-objectives. Tsuki-hime would kill me._

_Shinobi Killing Arts 542: Kunai attached to trip wire. Defects: Subject is very agile. Might be able to dodge._

_Shinobi Killing Arts 541: Impale target with needles to the brain. Defects: Too obvious. Might arouse suspicion to person responsible, mainly, me._

_Shinobi Killing Arts 450: Trip them off a cliff. Defects: Opponent is heavy._

_Shinobi Killing Arts 449: Pencil stuck in the table. Jam target's head onto upright pencil. Defects:... it'd be fun…_

_Shinobi Killing Arts 448: Slice through arm with pen. Ink poisoning at the very least. Defects: Too obvious. And Haruko would kill me because of the extra work._

"Shinsei-kun?" Hinata stood in the doorway, horrified. "What are you doing?"

Shinsei looked down to find he had one of the teddy bears in his hands and was strangling it, twisting his fists back and forth, muttering curses under his breath. Temari was staring at him, a disturbingly interested look in her eye. Shinsei slowly looked up at Tsuki's un-amused face, not even wondering how she could see him without her eyes and thought quickly. "Playing politics, Naoki-style."

And Naruto wondered why he was sleeping outside that night.

* * *

TBC…

So Kushina and Minato finally get together, Obito lives, which, let me tell ya, is going to wreak havoc on the timeline and series of events, Shinsei learns to hate dolls, and the girls have revealed a little bit of their shinobi past. What will the consequences of these actions be? Tune in next time to find out. P.S. Don't expect too much more lovey-dovey stuff between Kushina and Minato. I gave myself a sunburn writing the kiss scene.

The Name Confusion (example: Haruko, Haruka) will be cleared up soon. Thanks to all who pointed it out.

So what did you think? Constructive critisism? Comments? Favorite parts?

I'd love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to drop me a line!

Review!


	12. Through the Eyes of Children

This is the New Beta'd Chapter! Sorry about they delay - Enjoy!

This Chapter's title was inspired by the fact that the children (Itachi, Shinsei, Obito, Kakashi) are the main characters, or the poeple with the P.O.V. I look forward to what you guys think!

* * *

_Konoha_

Obito was feeling stir crazy. For a week and a half he'd been trapped in this bed, unable to so much as get up and walk to get some water from the nearby fountain. The blond chick who headed the hospital might be hot and be the Hokage's student, but she was as annoying as heck.

Whenever she wasn't snapping at someone, she was standing somewhere a sad and grief-striken look on her face, staring blankly off into the distance at something only she could see. Quite frankly, she was depressing. Sighing, Obito picked up one of the Shoujo that his cousin Itachi had generously provided. He'd already read them all twice, but he figured it was better than staring at the blank wall. The man beside him coughed violently, the dry heaves wracking his body. Obito couldn't help but glare at him in exasperation. He'd been able to listen in on one of the nurses, or rather, had used his Sharingan to read their lips, and overheard that they thought the patient was just faking. They were going to throw him out tomorrow after Tsunade confirmed their diagnosis.

Obito slumped down, opening the magazine to a random page, and started reading.

* * *

Tsunade marched down the hall, shooting glares at the nincompoops who got in her way. Shizune walked along quietly behind her, the girl's small steps and apologies calming Tsunade a bit.

Dan's niece had showed up one day, her belongings in a bag at her feet, a stubborn glint in her eye and had told her flat out, "You aren't going anywhere without me."

"You sure about that kid?" Tsunade had asked, swaying slightly, still drunk from the sake that had been warming her belly since Dan's funeral. Shizune's jaw took on a firmer tilt, and grabbing the sake bottle from her nearly-aunt's hand, she smashed it to the ground.

"My name's Shizune." She spat out. Then she herded the older woman into the house, shoved her into a cold shower to sober her up, and while Tsunade took her first shower in two weeks, she rooted out all the sake and hid it away. She packed up her uncle's clothes that were still laying around the apartment and set them in the attic. Shizune ruffled through the cupboards for anything edible, before giving up after finding the rotten tomatoes and moss covered-bread. She then dragged Tsunade out for her first good meal in a week.

Since then Shizune had been walking behind her, learning everything she could about her 'Aunt's' craft. Even now the small girl was tagging along at her heels, pulling out the necessary charts for the next patient.

Tsunade gave it a passing glance. "Uchiha Obito?"

"Hai." Shizune replied. "He's thirteen, was injured in a border skirmish close to the bridge. Capsized chest, severe injuries to the lungs, but someone provided medical assistance on the way over. According to Chakra readings…" Shizune trailed off. "Tsunade-sama, is this right?"

"What?" Tsunade snatched the folder out of her assistant's hand. "Signs of snapped ribs, third, seventh and tenth rib snapped in three places, sixth rib broken yada, yada, yada," She flipped the page. "Rapid healing… Injuries vanishing at rapid rate, fractures no longer visible. Chakra treatment…" She shut the folder, perplexed. "None."

* * *

Tsunade bent over her desk, eyes focused. Obito's file lay scattered before her, the mission report somewhere below. "…Day three, rapid lung improvement, concussion decreasing rapidly. Hemoptysis ceased. Patient still complains over pressure in left lung. Day four. No signs of coughing up blood. No broken ribs. No concussion." She leaned back, frowning. "Even his sprained ankle's better, and he got that in the hospital." Her hand curled under her chin. _He hasn't shown any signs of rapid healing before now. In fact, judging by his previous records, he's always been a slow healer. So why the change? None of my doctors have given him chakra treatments after being informed of the chakra applied in the field. Did they note any anomalies in his chakra after he was brought in?..._

She reached over for his chart, studying the chakra graphs closely. _Kuso – the foreign chakra had already begun to merge when he got here… in less than three days. That's unheard of. If I could get chakra like that…_

Standing up she slammed her door open and marched down the halls. _If I had had chakra like that, Dan wouldn't have died. _Rage built up in her with every click over her heels as she marched down the hall. _When I find whose been keeping this a secret…_Obito looked up, shocked when Tsunade kicked through his door. She marched up to him, grabbing him by the front of his shirt and lifting him up so they were nose to nose. "Who healed you?"

"What?"

"In the woods. Who was the medic that healed you? Where can I find him?"

Obito's eyes were large in terror. _I don't care what it takes, just get me away from this crazy hag!_ "I-I… She wasn't a Konoha nin."

Tsunade's grip slackened. "What?" She felt her hope drain out of her as confusion arose.

"She's part of the merchants. The traders. They were close by when we were attacked. H-Haruko-san healed me."

Tsunade lowered him to the bed, eyes pensive. "She's a medic-nin."

"Aa. They said that they all came from different villages that had been destroyed. Ha-Haruko-san healed me, while Ino-san and Tsuki-san took care of Kakashi and Rin. W-we already told Namikaze-sensei… wasn't it in the report?" Obito was staring at her, face white, eyes wide, voice trembling. Tsunade forced herself to look less severe.

"Arigato, Obito-san. I'll let you rest now." With that she turned and left, slamming the door closed behind her. One of Obito's roommates whistled lowly. "I sure wouldn't want to be on the opposite side of that temper, no siree."

Obito laughed nervously, the adrenaline surging through his veins making him hyper. "And you weren't even close to her!"

* * *

Tsunade marched down the halls. She didn't notice the interns and nurses scattering out of her way. Instead she stayed focused on her goal which was getting to the Hokage Tower as soon as she could and tearing a strip off of her sensei's hide. Tsunade slammed the hospital doors open and took to the roof, running along the spines for a stable footing. She used kwarmi to transport to the window, smashed it open, and leaped inside. "Sarutobi-sensei!"

The older man sighed, lookin at the potted plant that had been smashed into the wall at her abrasive entrance. "Tsunade! What are you—"

"Where's this caravan I've been hearing about?"

Sarutobi glanced at her quizzically. "I assume they're in Suna right now…"

"Suna." Tsunade repeated weakly. There was no way she was going to be allowed in enemy territory to look for a civilian girl without arousing suspicion. "When are they going to come back?"

Sarutobi was surprised. "Well… I suppose when they're finished their rounds. After Suna they normally go to Iwa, then the Hidden Myst, then they roam to a few civilian villages. After that they go to Rain, before taking a sojourn to Cloud. I would venture to guess… five, six months if they take their time."

"And if they hurry?" Tsunade pressed.

"Er… three? Four!" He beamed. "They made it in four months one time."

Tsunade's lips pressed together. "Arigato, sensei." With that she darted out of the room, knocking the gathering of ANBU guards out of the way. She would have to inform Shizune they would be staying for another four months.

* * *

_Suna_

"Do you think she'll bite?" Ino asked absently, rubbing lotion on her legs. The girls were taking a day off, laying out on some sunning booths, trying to work up a tan, despite their naturally pale skin.

"Oh you'd better believe she will. Tsunade's never been able to resist a mystery, especially one that runs away from her. She'll stick in Konoha until I get back, and then I'll play hard to get." Sakura toasted her glass. "And the rest, as they say, is history."

Ino huffed. "Eh, I've never been one for medicine. I still don't get that newfound chakra manipulation that you created."

Sakura laughed. "Yeah, poor Tsunade. If I don't help her out, it's possible she'd never get it. I only discovered it through examining Naruto's healing rate." She rolled over onto her stomach. "Did you know by increasing the rate of chakra speed, you increase the white blood cell count? Those fight off the infection, which allows the cells to rebound faster. The only problem is that the white blood cells run the risk of turning on the healthy human body. The trick is fooling the—"

"Aagh!" Ino lifted up her hand. "No work babble, please! I get enough of that watching you take care of the munchkins and poor civilians down there."

Hinata frowned. "I was enjoying it, actually."

"You would." Ino huffed.

* * *

_On an Unknown Road_

Shinsei hung out the back of the wagon playing I-Spy with himself as the cart chugged along.

The merchants were traveling to a civilian village, well stocked up on Cloud wool and clay jars from Sand, and Shinsei was happy to be on his way. Whenver he was in one of those Shinobi Villages he always felt tense, expecting to have to duck and run at any given moment.

They had just rounded the bend that marked their journey half way over – to Shinsei's great relief – when he heard Shika announce the runner up ahead. The man was gasping for air, hanging onto the wagon side to support himself. Naoki and Kiba quickly reached over to support him while Ino threw them a water thermos. Drinking gratefully, the man lowered himself to the ground. "Thanks for stopping. I need to get to one of the Shinobi villages as fast as I can."

"Eh? Why?" Naruto squatted down to the runner's eye level. Shinsei crawled his way to the front, curiously staring at the man. The runner was dusty, sweat allowing the earth to cling to his face and clothing like glue to paper. Runners, Shinsei knew, were trained for endurance and speed, being the messengers that carried important news and documents from one village to another. For this man to be so out of breath was alarming.

"There's an epidemic in Takani. People dropping like flies. The armies put them on quarantine. No one's going in or out, and they've started to run out of food." The man's face was grey.

Quizzically, Shinsei pondered what could make the man look like that. Sure, the carnage at the village must be great, but he'd seen worse. Iwa had once decimated an entire region as a warning to a rebelling clan. He'd been part of the cleanup crew, not having been old enough at the time to take part in the massacre. There had been blood everywhere, and those who had been spared had only been allowed to go so that they could spread the tale. So he wondered why this man was so sickened. It was only one village after all.

A hand dropped to his shoulder, startling the boy. "I suggest you go to Konoha." Shika stated, his arm warm on Shinsei's shoulder. "They have the best medical facilities, and are much more likely to help."

"But… aren't they at war?"

"Konoha's never been one to turn away a job." Naoki said calmly. "They need the money, and they don't like people getting sick. If you go to Iwa, Suna, or Cloud, you'll most likely be turned away. We'll stop by the village while you're gone. Our girls are all trained medics, we have plenty of food and medicine, and we've all dealt with epidemics before."

The runner looked relieved, but skeptical. "Will they let you in?"

"Oh, they will." Naoki stated firmly. Shinsei shuddered, taking in the self-assured eyes. He was serious. _Why does he want to risk us? Wouldn't the smart thing to do be to continue on our way? Takani's a four day journey from here._

The runner nodded, drank the last sip of water, then started off again, this time in the direction of Konoha. "Will they really help him?" Shinsei was cynical. No shinobi village _he'd_ ever worked with had been willing to sacrifice resources for some unnamed village. It was a waste of assets, time and effort for very little reward, especially in a war.

"Aa." Naoki answered. His calm blue eyes met Shinsei's. "Do you know why we're doing this?"

"We'll get paid?" That was the only reason _he _could think of anyway. Of course, the pay would probably be worth crap, villages like Takani being exceptionally poor, especially after a thing like this. Naoki laughed.

"Well, that'd be one reason, but we're not going to do it for that." He sobered. "In fact, if they offered to pay us, I'd refuse." Reaching up, the blond pulled the white-haired kid down from the wagon. "I know you probably won't understand, but I'll try. Kiba – start moving us."

"Aye, aye, captain!" Kiba said cheerfully. "Akamaru! We're going to Takani. Let's go as quickly as possible, eh?" The large white dog barked sharply, before making a pace that left Shinsei stunned. _How is that dog moving so fast._ He had to make use of his ninja training to keep up, noticing with interest but no surprise that everyone else had dismounted and was keeping pace just fine.

"Every human life is important." Naoki stated, running alongside the boy. "A village doesn't just have relations in itself – everyone in the village has at least one, if not more, connection outside. When someone dies, it causes grief, anguish, guilt and despair in another person. The person who died leaves behind unfinished business – children, friends, rivalries, work. When we just let someone die, we take away the changes other people have to get to know them, to cherish them. We take away that person's chance to be loved, cherished. How would you feel if Tsuki-chan died?" The pit of dread in Shinsei's stomach didn't surprise him, but the knowing look on Naoki's face did. "Exactly. Not only that, but not helping out, leaving them to die, would be just as bad as if we'd cut into their hearts ourselves. If we know we can do something, but we don't, we might as well have killed them and stood by to watch the light fade out of their eyes."

"Oh." Shinsei said, still confused.

Naoki sighed. "Let's see if I can't explain it better. Oi! Kiba! Are we going to take the short cut?"

"No! The wagon wouldn't make it!"

"Alright. Anyway, where was I…oh yeah." Naoki fell silent. "I guess for you to relate I'll have to use a shinobi mindset, eh? It's like… ripples in a pool. One action effects another. This village is a resource to us. We'll sell them supplies, they'll sell us supplies. News of us will spread, and we'll be welcome in more places. Not only that, but this village is one of the main grain providers for this area. They all die, many of the homes and towns around here will starve."

Naoki fell silent. "It's not the best example, and it's not the way I want you to think about this, but some things you can only learn by watching. You, with your shinobi mindset, have not seen the humanity I'm trying to explain, so you can't relate to it."

Shinsei glanced at Naoki from the corner of his eye. Ever since the blond had found him, huddled over the body of his friend a year ago, he'd seen the man as his hero. Naoki never got _really_ impatient with him. He'd make sure to explain things to Shinsei, and always made sure the boy was feeling okay, a courtesy not even offered by his former commanding officers. So he was greatly relieved not to see a disappointed frown on his mentors face. Instead, Naoki looked thoughtfully sad, something that was just as unsettling.

The Naoki that Shinsei was used to was always laughing, telling a joke at someone's expense (usually Sai or Katashi)and running away from Haruko's resulting wrath. This silent stranger was new to him.

Despite what his companions might think, Shinsei was not oblivious. He knew darn well that they had a history in Shinobi arts. There was no way Tsuki would be able to do half the things she did without intensive training. Shika was far too good at strategy not to have worked on it for years. They knew far too much about the ins and outs of shinobi life not to have lived it. And whenever Naoki let his guard down, the amount of chakra coiled inside of him was enough to send Shinsei reeling.

He'd even snuck out a few times to watch them training, making sure to hide any signs of his passage, staying well out of sensing range. He'd watched in shock as Haruko split the ground with her fist, or when Neji and Tsuki got going he would have to get even farther away as their chakra strikes lit up the night. He had almost been caught once or twice, but had managed to squeak under the wire. Despite their deception, he found himself trusting them. They'd never attacked anyone or used their skills to threaten him, which already put them a step or four ahead of any of his companions in Iwa, aside from… He jerked his thoughts away from his friend as Kiba abruptly turned Akamaru off the beaten path.

"Kiba! What are you doing?" Naoki yelled, bounding forward.

"Akamaru says he smells a short cut that the wagon can run on!"

Nodding, Naoki fell back beside Shinsei. "Oi, if you don't want to go into the village we can find someone to keep you. I don't think the situation is one for young eyes."

Shinsei snorted. "Don't patronize me. You know I've probably seen worse."

"Aa, but that doesn't mean you have to keep seeing them." Naoki supplied. "We've handled things like this before. If you go in, follow Haruko and Tsuki's instructions to the letter. We don't want to get sick as well."

* * *

The village gates rose up before them, tall and imposing, the gates guarded by the militia. They wore masks, their guns pointed at the gate. "Halt!" A sergeant called. "You can't come in here! There's an epidemic."

"We're a medical team," Naoki shouted out. "We're bringing in supplies. We'll stay inside until the quarantines done. Here's our orders." Riffling through his pockets, he pulled out a slip of paper Shinsei hadn't seen before. Whatever it was, it was official enough for the guards to pull up the bar of the gate doors.

"Oi – you people inside! We're sending in a team, but don't rush the gate or we'll be forced to fire!" Turning the Sergeant nodded to the gate men, who opened the gate, two soldiers immediately going down to a knee to shoot anyone who tried to get out. "C'mon, Akamaru." Kiba encouraged. The large dog barked and charged inside. The rest of the ex-shinobi quickly followed, darting inside quickly. They had no sooner crossed the threshold that the door slammed closed behind them.

"Well, they certainly didn't hesitate." Ino groused.

Naoki laughed. "Eh, I'm just glad the papers fooled them."

"What are you talking about." Katashi looked insulted. "My forgeries are always perfect." Kiba dismounted with a grunt.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever lets you sleep at night."

The village spread out before them. The buildings were run down, wood having been pulled off the roofs and walls to make fire pits. The air held the stench of death. Looking around, Shinsei knew with certainty that the villagers wouldn't have been able to charge the gate. They lay around in piles of bone, skin and tattered clothing. A few of the healthier ones cast them seated glances from dull eyes. One of the villagers, a young man aged before his time slowly made his way over. Shinsei looked at him critically. His cheeks were sunk in, his shirt hid none of the starved frame. His eyes held the glaze of fever, but the boy gave him reluctant respect for standing up to greet them.

"Who are you?" The man rasped out. Haruko was already moving forward.

"We're a rescue team. We're here to help." She looked around. "Is _everyone _sick?"

He laughed harshly. "Sick or dying of starvation."

"Where's your doctor?"

"Yoi-san? He died four weeks ago." The man said with fake nonchalance. His eyes narrowed and suddenly he was on the attack. "He was one of the first to succumb. But of course you'd already know that, considering we sent for a new doctor _three and a half weeks ago!"_

Haruko nodded. "Okay." She breathed out. "Is there anyone with medical expertise? How many of you are strong enough to work?"

"Are you stupid or something?" The man barked. "Look around! We're hardly making it!"

Shinsei tensed, incensed._ Who does he think he is? We didn't have to come! We didn't have to help! Now we're trapped here just like him._ Once again he felt the warmth of a hand on his head. Naoki smiled down at him, ruffling his large and tanned hand through the white locks before moving forward.

"Oi, what's your name?" Naoki called out, coming to a stop beside Haruko. Shinsei could read their body language clearly, even from here.

_I'm here. _Naoki was saying. _I've got your back. _

_I know_. _I'm alright, don't worry._

The man glanced between them. "Yuri. Hondu Yuri. I'm the son of the chief of this village."

"Where's your father, kid?" Naoki asked, glancing around as if he'd be able to tell one face apart from another in the haggard crowd below.

Yuri snarled. "Dead. Just like half the village." Naoki's eyes gentled, his smile fading into a look of sympathy. Shinsei watched him, not understanding. How could he look that way at a man who had done nothing but insult them since they'd got here?

Haruko nodded. "Alright then." Turning around she started barking out orders. "Kiba! Neji! Find an intact building and start moving them in. I want the starving in one village, the sick in another. Use masks and gloves. I have a box in the back." The boys nodded and moved forward. "Lee – I need you to start tearing down some of the buildings. That one over there looks good." As an afterthought she added – "Take everything out of it first! That's someone's house!"

"Hai, Haruko-san!" Lee yelled out, already bounding toward the decrepit home. "I shall endeavor to move all the belongings out of the house in one hour, or I shall tear down the building with my teeth!" Shinsei watched him running with a detached fascination. Uncle Lee was always making ridiculous challenges to himself, most of which _should_ have made the job take longer, but Shinsei had seen what the man could do with his teeth, and it wasn't pretty.

"That won't be necessary." Haruko yelled back. Lee just waved a hand in acknowledgement. Haruko huffed. "Hopeless." Shinsei frowned. Haruko-san didn't have the same appreciation for Lee's abilities as he did.

"I want everyone who can stand to walk to the house those boys pick. Where are your herbal gardens?"

"They've been pretty much rooted out." The man said reluctantly. "A few of us tried to make something up on the off chance it'd work."

"I see." Haruko frowned. "Ino, H-Tsuki, I want to start examining the people now. Katashi, Naoki, would you mind making stretchers for us? Ino – can we use your cloth?"

"Sure." Ino shrugged. "If you want Shika and Chouji can start ripping up stuff for bandages."

Chouji spoke up. "Actually, I think I'll start cooking something. How many people are there?"

The man blinked, perking up at the mention of food. "There's about three hundred and fifty survivors. Two hundred of which are children."

Haruko blinked. "I see. That's more than expected. Chou, do we have enough to feed that many for a month?"

"Oh sure!" The large man answered. "I've just stocked up. If we ration it we should be able to get their health up and still have food to spare. I think I can spread it out to two months, but after that things'll get tight."

Haruko nodded, looking pleased. Fists on her hips, she glanced around the village, lips firming. "Okay, let's do this."

* * *

He had thought training had been hard. He had thought missions had been wearing. He had thought he'd withstood it all. He'd never faced something like this. The pure muscle required to haul water from the well to the 'kitchen' exhausted him. Then there was boiling the water to kill bacteria, measuring out the right amount of chemicals to add (just to be sure), and then taking jug after jug to the weather-beaten towns people. Haruko, Ino and Tsuki-hime had lined the villagers up in fouty to fifty rows. Those who could still walk were ordered to help out.

After making stretchers, Katashi took him to clean up the feces and urine left by the people too sick to move themselves away from their blankets. In was nauseating, and Shinsei had to work to not add his own vomit to the bile on the ground. When he was burying yet another pile of waste, trying not to gag, he turned to look for their great and fearless leader. He didn't expect Naoki to be doing any of the dirty work knowing from his own experiences with superior officers that they tried to shove such duties onto their underlings. He knew, subconsciously, that Naoki wasn't that kind of leader, but the inclination was still there.

Naoki was washing out the soiled blankets with a deep glower on his face. Every once in a while he would send a pleading look at Haruko, who would frown back severely. She would shake her head, her body language saying_ don't ask me again, I'm busy enough without worrying about you doing something stupid. _She did that a lot when around Naoki and Kiba, Shinsei had noticed. Sai, or Taro as they sometimes called him, was the middle man. He actually had one of the hardest jobs, because he had to go wherever someone needed him. Because of that he'd never have a routine which made the jobs more bearable. As Shinsei chucked another pail of crap into a hole and covered it up, he reasoned he wouldn't miss the monotony if it got him away from the stench.

"Foods ready!" Chouji yelled. "Kiba, Neji, Lee – come help serve."

Shinsei glared at the bigger man. He wouldn't have minded that job either.

* * *

Naoki bent down, smiling kindly behind his mask to the old lady laid out below him. "Hey-ya, granny. I just need to lift your head a bit, okay?" The woman was too weak to answer, and Naoki took special care to make the lifting up and setting down gentle. "There – isn't a pillow so much better than rocks?" He reached up and grabbed one of the 'blankets' from Shinsei, wrapping it around the woman's frail form as well as he could. "Are you warm?" The granny slowly nodded, smiling gratefully up at the blond. "Okay then. Neji's coming down the line with soup, so we should be able to kill that hunger in your gut soon." Her smile looked a bit more cheerful. Naoki grinned back, his eyes crinkling up at the corners, and brushed a hand through her hair, not even seeming to notice the dirt and grime. Patting her on the shoulder he stood up and moved to the next person.

Shinsei watched him with detached interest. The man's smile hadn't dimmed since he'd gotten here, only gentling slightly at the more wretched of victims. The next patient had Shinsei gagging. The man's body was covered in seeping boils, the flesh inside rotting putridly. Naoki flinched slightly, but his eyes didn't narrow and his smile didn't fade, which would have been evident by a lowering of the cheeks and a loosening of the eyes.. Actually, his grin widened almost playfully, his eyes sparkling more than ever. "Sheesh! Looks like you got a painful end to this deal." The man grinned back.

"Hey – this is nothin'. You should have seen me last week." He gestured up and down his body. "All these boils were big, rounded and puffed up. I felt like one of those plastic bubble-wraps the kids play with."

Naoki laughed. "Hey Shinsei, let's give this poor man another blanket so he doesn't have to press sore bones into the ground. How does that sound, oyajii?"

The man frowned. "Oh, don't worry about me. These old bones have seen the last of their good days. Better to give that fluffy stuff to the young." The old man grinned, all gums. "No, me? I've lived a good life. Had four sons and three daughters – most beautiful girls you ever laid eyes on, I can betcha that!"

The old man sighed sadly. "They're gone now though. Two claimed by this blasted plague, but the other five have left the village. One of them actually has a small farm out on the border."

"Is that so?" Naruto said.

"Yep!" The man sighed. "They're gone now, but they come back an' visit me now and again. One of my daughters – the youngest, actually – is expecting her first kid. Oh, boy. I remember when she told me. My wife – ah, she nearly had a stroke right then an' there!" The man chuckled, leaning his head back. "I wonder if it'll be a boy or girl?"

Naoki shrugged. "Who knows. But my job's to keep you living long enough to find out. Don't worry about it."

"Ah…" The man smiled. "That's good."

He burst out coughing, his body curling in on itself painfully. Naoki rushed down, pulling the man into an upright position. The man's wrinkled hands came up to cup his mouth. When he finally pulled them away, his hands were stained red. "Oh…" He said absently. "That's _not_ good."

Naoki didn't even hesitate. "Haruko! I need this man looked after now!"

Even as Haruko dashed over, speeding more quickly than a civilian would, the man launched into seizures, his body throwing itself about violently. Naoki threw himself over the man, pinning down his thrashing arms. "Shinsei! Put the pillows and blankets around him so he doesn't injure something!" The boy hastened to comply. It was tireless and futile work, the man's unintentional thrashing tossing away the blankets and pillows even as they were placed below him.

Finally, he stilled. Too still. Not even his eyes were moving. Naoki hissed. "No." Quick compressions to the chest were applied, even as Haruko slid down beside him. She placed an oxygen mask over his face, compressing air into his lungs. Finally she sat back. "It's no good Naoki. He's gone."

Naoki sat back, his head lowered. "I see."

He stood up, and walked a little ways away, head still bowed.

Later, when Shinsei was walking back along the rows to see if anyone needed help, there was a new man on the cot. The dead guy was nowhere to be seen.

He wasn't the first person to be carted off to the mass buriel grounds that was growing in the south corner of the village, but he was the one Shinsei remembered most later. He wondered if his daughters would ever know about the man's passing, or if they'd even care.

* * *

He was working with Shika ripping up bandages when he saw the Mayor's son causing trouble again. He was arguing with Haruko, but this time it sounded like he was arguing over food rations. "Mendokuse." Shika muttered, ripping one of the sheets with a little more force. Shinsei turned to him, watching as the man's usual scowl darkened.

"What is he doing?" Shinsei asked, watching the man's increasingly red face as Haruko set her jaw stubbornly. She stood up on tiptoes, shoving herself in his face growling out something indistinct. "Haruko-san looks angry."

Shika hmphed, eyes dark. "Tch. Whenever things get dark, the rats come out to play." He said cryptically. Shinsei rolled his eyes, thinking that for a lazy guy, he sure did drag out conversations. "Before we came, there were only two options – miserable, and dead. Now that we're here there's miserable, dead, healthy and comfortable. Unfortunately, comfortable only comes by stealing from others." He nodded to Yuri. "It was easy to give up things when they had no worth. Now, when he thinks he can get an edge, his true colors show."

Shinsei frowned, disliking the man even more. "He's a corrupt politician then?"

Shika glanced over at him, a glint of surprise showing. "Yeah, that's a good way to put it."

"In Iwa, we kill those we believe corrupt."

Shika sighed. "Yeah, well… unfortunately, we're not in Iwa."

Shinsei blinked. "Actually we are in Iwagakure territory. Takani is five miles inside the boarder, so…"

"Let me rephrase that." Shika ripped another piece of expensive silk. "We're not _from_ Iwa."

"Aa." Shinsei said, ripping linen. "Do you think Ino realizes how many dresses she could have made from this?"

"I think she's trying not to think of it now, but we'll definitely get an earful later." Shika scowled. "Troublesome women! This is such a drag."

* * *

_Konoha_

Itachi sat on the corner with his chin in his hands. At age six Itachi was a storehouse of energy. Unfortunately, all his playmates were in traveling (Shinsei), or in the hospital (Obito). He could, he supposed, hang out with Kakashi, but the Hatake was just too strict for Itachi's taste. He sighed. His team had a day off, and he was pretty sure they weren't doing anything, but the Uchiha had never connected with the members of his squad. And he couldn't help but feel that his sensei was a impostor, trying to take the place of his _real_ shishou: Naoki.

The cheerful blond hadn't been here in two weeks. Even before that, Naoki had been too weak from his journey to do more then sit and talk. Itachi was surprised to find that he was missing the older man terribly. And then Obito had to get himself injured and then miraculously cured in such a way that the med-nins were keeping him for another night.

Itachi didn't want to go back to the Uchiha compound, not wanting to get into another match with his father. Every time he did he threw his mother into anguish as she tried to play the peacemaker. Not only that, but Itachi had sensed a growing unrest in the clan; a dissatisfaction with the Hokage that worried him. Itachi himself was firmly on the Sandaime's team. Not only because of the Old Man's concern for him, but because of Naoki's growing respect for the man.

"_That guy's amazing."_ Naoki had said in quiet awe one day when they had been walking past the Academy. _"He's running a way, fending off corrupt councilors, and still manages to find time to sneak out and play with kids. Now that's stamina."_

Sarutobi was one of the few shinobi in power who didn't see Itachi as a tool for war or politics. He didn't mind digging into his pockets to buy pocky either, which made him okay in Itachi's book. _Hmm… pocky. _

A happy whistling broke into his daydreams and he looked up sharply. The red-haired woman Naoki was always following around – Kushina – was coming down the street, her hands tucked into her pockets, a senbon resting between her teeth. Itachi scowled. There was another reason for a bad mood.

Whenever Naoki-shishou was in town, he'd always hang around the vixen and her not-boyfriend-despite-the-rumor-Minato. Itachi didn't see what was so great about her. Sure, she could play a mean prank, and she and Naoki could have entire conversations at the top of their lungs, and the entire town could hear their hysterical laughter, but she made bento like no one else… and her homemade dango wasn't so bad… but still! What was so good about her!

He scowled. _And I am _not_ jealous. No matter what Rin-chan says._

"Ohayo, Itachi-kun!" Kushina said brightly. _How can someone be that cheerful at nine o'clock in the morning,_ Itachi though sulkily.

"Hi." He said instead. One thing about Kushina was that she wasn't patronizing, like a lot of the other women in the village. It was inconsistent, Itachi thought, that half the time they expected him to be almost non-human with his abilities, and at other times they wanted to treat him like a kid. Kushina wasn't like that. _But that doesn't excuse her for claiming all of Naoki's time._

"Wha'cha doin'?" Kushina asked, bending down in front of him, hands on her knees.

"Nothin.'" Itachi muttered, looking away. Kushina raised an eyebrow, brown eyes sparkling in mischievous amusement.

"Nothing, eh?" She stood up. "Well that doesn't sound like much fun. Hey, Naoki was telling me you've become quite the prankster yerself." Itachi perked up, eyes meeting hers in rapt attention. He was even willing to overlook the knowing glint he was sure he saw in her smirk. "He just goes on and on about you." She waved her hand in rhythm to her words. "Itachi this, Itachi that, and you won't guess what Itachi did today."

"What does he say?" Itachi leaned forward.

Kushina flopped down beside him. "Well, he says you're a talented little bugger. He says you've got more sense than your entire clan combined, though he says Obito runs a quick second." She laughed, reaching over to rub out his scowl. "Hey, don't look like that. It's a compliment."

Embarrassed she was able to see through him so easily, Itachi looked away. _Stupid kunoichi._ To his irritation, the redhead snickered. _Hey! I'm not here for your amusement, lady!_ She'd burst in on his day, disrupting his boredom without so much as a by-your-leave, started talking about his mentor as if she owned him, and compared him to his numbskull cousin. _How rude!_

"What do you want with Naoki anyway?" _Oops._ By the look on her face, he'd said that out loud. And from his experience, comments like that were equivalent to putting blood in shark infested waters. _Stupid, stupid, stupid! Now I'll _never_ get rid of her._

* * *

_Meanwhile… Back at the Ranch… _

_Takani_

_11:00p.m._

It was night, and Shinsei didn't think he'd _ever_ been as impressed with someone like he was with the girls. Haruko had been working non-stop, only pausing to get a bite to eat after everyone else had eaten their share. Since they'd gotten here until ten minutes ago when Sai had more or less picked her up and thrown her into bed, she'd been taking care of everyone. Along with placing cool rags on fevered bodies, mixing up herbs to deal with nausea and headaches, brewing salves for boils, she'd also had to splint numerous broken wrists and ankles, the bones having become fragile from malnutrition.

Shinsei had watched, amazed, as she lifted people up to place pillows, cool rags, or mustard cloths underneath them, not a hint of strain or impatience on her face. In between changing bed sheets and blankets, which inevitably became soiled again, and making more medicine, and if she wasn't trying to figure out what exactly the virus was, she would wander over to the children's section, a closed off building that Ino and Tsuki had scrubbed down with detergents and boiling water. Haruko would once again show her incredible endurance, picking up the sweaty, stinky children to comfort them, only showing a hint of a grimace when one of the younger boys threw up on her.

She'd sent Shinsei down there to help out after they'd finished cleaning up the yard, and the ex-Iwa-nin had been shocked at the care given to the children despite the lack of resources. Tsuki-hime would sing, wandering down the aisles of beds, her quiet voice comforting the little ones. She'd gently check temperatures, pulses, and coughs, every once in a while drawing a sheet around a bed to keep the germs from flooding the rest of the room.

Once, after a child started choking on her own blood, she'd taken the kid out of the room to keep the rest of them from getting scared. Meanwhile, Shinsei would wander from cot to cot, giving lots of the boiled water to the kids, giving them a packet of crackers that Chouji had set aside specifically for the children, and – when he had a moment – listening to their stories. Ino eventually came in to relieve her, telling the elegant woman to take a break. Then the blond had yelled out, "Story time! Anyone who wants to listen in should drag their cots over! C'mon people, don't you want to hear a story?"

She'd been in the middle of the one about a girl who was on the way to deliver some cookies to her grandmother and the evil shinobi who wanted the cookies for himself, who – when his tricks and snatch-no-jutsu's had proved futile – kidnapped the granny and hid her in the closet, before using the henge-no-jutsu to transform into her image, when Haruko had called him away to help with the washing. He'd dragged his feet slowly, causing Haruko no end of frustration, before she realized he wanted to listen to the end of the story. When she promised to get Ino to finish it up later (complete with sound effects), he sped up, thinking that maybe if he hurried he'd catch the ending.

Right now though, Shinsei was so tired all he wanted to do was roll over and sleep. Except, he couldn't when Haruko was whispering so urgently just outside the wagon.

"I'm sure of it. It's Taigyou." Haruko was saying, her voice hoarse for a day of calling out orders. Not shouting, she always insisted – _calling_. "The symptoms are all there. Hemoptysis – "

"Hemo-what?"

"Coughing up blood, Kiba."

"Oh, why didn't you just say that?"

Haruko sighed. "Anyway –boils, headaches, a buildup of white blood cells, scleroderma— that's when the body turns against itself – degeneration in the muscles which hasn't been helped by the malnutrition, and internal burns, especially along the chakra coils. The signs are all there."

They were quiet. "So this wasn't an accident."

Shinsei shuddered. He'd never heard Naoki sound so deadly. The pure wrath dripping of his deceptively smooth voice filled the boy with dread.

"No, it wasn't." Haruko confirmed. "In fact, if I had to guess, I think this village was selected as a testing ground, to see how well the virus did. We all know what it does, but the damiyo or Kage of this territory might not."

"Can you cure it?" That was Shika. Come to think of it, Shinsei hadn't heard the lazy pineapple-head sound so serious before either.

"With my current supplies?" Haruko drew in a deep breath. "No."

Naoki swore. Then he paused for air and swore some more. By the time he was done cursing whoever had done this, their mothers, and their grandmothers just to be safe, along with making some potentially unfair statements about their fathers, and had finished cussing out brainless rules, stupid quarantines, and dim-witted people who couldn't see the value of human life, Shinsei's ears were burning. Then Naoki sighed deeply and tried to calmed down. "What do we do? We can't let these people die, Sakura."

Shinsei perked up. _Sakura? Who's that?_ To his chagrin, Haruko answered. _It must be a nickname then,_ he thought, thinking of her rediculously pink hair

"I know. Someone's going to have to go get it. I would send Ino or Tsuki, but I need them here. Kiba has a good nose, but none of us can talk to Aka and make him listen. I can't send you, Naruto, because you've never been able to tell an herb from a weed even if it bit you in the buttocks."

"The what?" Kiba asked, laughing.

Haruko sighed, again, but indulged him. "Buttocks, aka, behind, aka, butt, aka your a—"

"Okay!" Kiba cut in, mock-offended. "I'm not _stupid_ you know."

"…"

"…"

"Shut up." Kiba growled.

"We didn't say anything." Chouji pointed out.

"I said, shut _up_."

Shinsei stifled his laughter in his pillow. Kiba was trying to pick a fight again.

"_Anyway,_" Haruko broke in. "Chouji, I need you to stay because of food. You're the best at making a good meal out of very little food. It tastes good too, by the way. Kakashi… no. Just, no." There was a chorus of snickering and an offended, "Hey!" which let Shinsei know who exactly 'Kakashi' was. _Heh, funny he has the same name as that Hatake back in Konoha!_ And then he thought. _You don't think… nah. _

"Shika, I don't think you want to go, Neji won't leave Hinata, right?" Someone must have nodded, because she continued on. "Lee, I'm sorry, but I'd need someone who's not quite so filled with the flames of you—"

"Sakura-chan! Please! If you let me go, I will find the necessary herbs in less than four hours, or tear down yet another building with my teeth! I know that I may not be the sneakiest of ninja," _ninja? _Thought Shinsei. He finally had confirmation. "But please, allow me to prove to you that the flames of youth will surely win out in the end! Gai-sensei – if I do not amass all the necessary medicine in two hours, I shall—"

"You shall nothing. I'm sorry Lee, but I have you down for taking over for the kids tomorrow. The healthier ones need some exercise."

"_Oh_!"

Shinsei huffed._ Sucker._

"That leaves… Sai. Would you be willing to do it?"

At that, Shinsei couldn't contain his snigger. _Sai? Collect herbs? Like a woman? _His laughter only stopped when a wide eyed Haruko tore open the Wagon flap, staring down at him with something akin to horror. _Well, at least I won't have to hide how much I know anymore._

Then he thought about Sai collecting herbs in a pink apron with lacy ruffles and collapsed into giggles again.

* * *

_Konoha General Hospital_

He was almost out, free, liberated, unrestrained, elsewhere, not at the hospital, un-captured, doing a bird impersonation, gone. Now all he had to do was get past Frau Helga over there. He was disgusted. Of course one of his roommates would go into crisis five minutes after he'd escaped and alert the nurses to his disappearing act. He should have gone from the roof, but no – the door was so much _easier_. So much more _unconventional._ So _different_ then what shinobi _usually _used. The nurses wouldn't expect it at _all_! When he got out of here he was going to _kill_ his cousin, heir to the clan or not.

If it had been any nurse, he would have just used a henge to get past her, but no – this was Tsunade. One of the Legendary Three. He snorted. In his opinion, they shouldn't be investigating Orochimaru for experimenting on humans (an investigation instigated by some mysteriously planted notes that had appeared on the Hokage's desk), but rather his beautiful but wicked teammate. How many blood tests and chakra charts could someone give without going insane?

Obito didn't know, but he was pretty sure he was close to finding out.

If he had to take _one_ more test…

What's this! She was moving away! Now was his chance. If he could get past two Iwa-nin, rescue the love of his life, and make a best friend in one mission – _and awaken the Sharingan, can't forget that one_ – he could get past one measly Sannin. Pushing chakra into his legs, he took off with a burst of speed. He was _out!_ The fresh, non-processed air filled his lungs like a long lost friend. The wind teased through his hair with gentle fingers. He had escaped! He was free! He was…

…caught.

Drat.

And he dangling two feet off the ground. Slowly he looked up to meet Tsunade's un-amused eyes. "And where do you think _you're_ going?"

Chuckling nervously, he pointed in the vauge direction of the Uchiha compound. "…Home?"

Later, tucked into the hospital bed again, roommates laughing at him and nurses giving him the evil eye, he wondered if perhaps he shouldn't have phrased it like a question.

* * *

When he saw Tsunade again, it was the afternoon after he'd finally been released from the hospital when they'd run out of excuses for experimenting on him. At least, that's what Obito called it. Minato – the traitor – called it taking _precautions._ Hah!

She was standing on the bridge covering the river that swept though the town from the hot springs. She was holding a blue crystallite necklace in her hand, an expression of absolute loathing twisting her face into something hideous. For a moment, Obito thought she was going to throw it into the river, but instead she sighed and pulled it over her head.

"It probably would just find its way back to me," Tsunade said morbidly. "And then I'd have _more_ blood on my hands."

Obito, feeling awkward at having witnessed an obviously private moment, spoke up. "That's a pretty necklace, baa-san."

Tsunade straitened as if struck, her head whipping around to face him. "What are you… when did you…" She glared at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Eh… taking a short cut?" He'd phrased it as a question _again_, his mind sing-songed to him. _Shut up, _was his oh-so-eloquent comeback.

Tsunade looked skeptical. "Where to?"

"My team's meeting over on training field three. It's the first time I get to train with them since my accident, thanks to a certain hospital who keeps people past their exit-date." He glared at her pointedly. Tsunade pondered for a moment.

"Oh! The escapee." She grinned at him rather evilly this time. "You know, if you hadn't tried to escape, we would have let you out that afternoon. Obito looked at her in shock, before growling out curses and threatening to kill Itachi. But why did the squirt tell him that he wasn't due to leave for a month?

Tsunade's smiled widened. _Kami-sama, he looks like Nawaki. _

"Tsunade-sama!" The Sannin looked around when the wind brought her Shizune's voice. "Tsunade-sama I did it!"

Shizune threw herself at her mentor, who caught the girl, the momentum spinning them around. "I healed the arm! And Momo-san didn't even have to help me!"

A smile spread over Tsunade's face. "I see. That must have been too easy. Let's look for something a little harder then…" She glanced back at the boy. "Excuse us, Obito-san."

"Er, sure!" Obito watched them walk off pensively. _She doesn't look so gloomy anymore. Is it because of that girl? _Shugging, figuring it was none of his buisness what the woman did, he slung his hands behind his head and continued on his way.

* * *

_Takani_

Sai stooped low in the shadows cast by the wall. He had been pleased to note that his old clothing now fit him again, meaning he had grown significantly since they had preformed that cursed time jutsu which shrunk him. He bit down on his thumb and drew a line of blood down his forearm. A quick seal later, and a large dragon slithered off his skin, coming to life with his chakra. "Distract the guards."

The dragon nodded in acknowledgement. Taking to the air, it spread its dark wings and blended into the night sky. Only the blotted out stars told Sai where it was. The dragon circled above quietly, before letting out a shriek and diving down to the started soldiers. Smirking when he heard the frightened calls of the guards, he took off into the trees. He listened to the sound of mayhem as he quickly got out of hearing distance. Twenty minutes later the dragon swept down on him, lifting him into the air to speed him on his way to the nearest city. _Gathering herbs. Who does Shinsei think I am, anyway?_

* * *

He arrived back at the town at midnight, his dragon dropping him down over a small mud patch before slithering back into a lifeless stance on his arm. "Did you get it?" Haruko asked, coming out of nowhere. Sai jumped.

"Sakura! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Nevermind that! Do you have it?" Sakura extended her hand, fingers wiggling. With a roll of the eyes, he dropped the package into her waiting fingers.

"How did the talk with Shinsei go?" He asked curiously, walking her back.

Sakura sighed. "Well… it definitely reminded us that he was an experienced jounin before coming to us. He's seen a lot, and concluded a lot more. He knows we don't use our real names, and that some, if not all, of us have had shinobi or military training. He's even watched some of us spar."

Sai hn'd. "That's… troubling."

"Actually, it's kind of a relief." Sakura contradicted. "I mean, I always felt guilty hiding our shinobi background from him.

Sai shook his head. "That's not what I'm talking about, hag. I'm talking about how it's going to affect his trust in us. Do you think he's just going to take being lied to and deceived for two years lying down? Especially after we've spent so much time getting him to see the differences between us and Iwa."

"Oh." Sakura blinked. Then with dawning understanding, "_Oh."_

"And you know what's even more worrisome?" Sai continued as they came up to Sakura's 'lab,' and by default the wagon. "If we've let so much slip with him, who else have we clued in?"

* * *

_Konoha_

"_You!"_ Obito yelled, marching toward Itachi with his pointer finger held out. "You're the one!"

Itachi made a show of looking around the porch before pointing at himself innocently. "Me?"

"Oh, don't give me that!" Obito growled, bounding up the wooden stairs to stand over the kid. "You set me up, you little fink! You rat! Weasel! _Fiend_!"

Itachi raised his eyebrows innocently, looking confused. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Obito growled, crossing the remaining distance in no time. "You aren't fooling anybody! You-you-you – blood traitor!"

Itachi blinked. He blinked again. And then he blinked just for the fun of watching Obito twitch. "Was that supposed to be an insult?"

"Gah!" With a huff, the older of the cousins threw himself on the ground. He glanced at Itachi shrewdly. "Is this because I spent more time with Naoki last time he was here?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Itachi replied, the jerk of his eye betraying him.

Obito's ensuing shout of victory echoed over the clan walls. The boy had jumped to his feet, legs spread, hand raised in the victory sign, a grin shining for all the other stuck up Uchihas to see. He proudly flaunted the 'Victory of Youth' stance from Tai Lee last time he'd been here. "Aha! That's… that's…" His arm dropped. "…That's just ridiculous." He finished.

The younger boy glared at him and turned to show his back. Obito chuckled, a hand coming up to ruffle the six-year-old's hair. "Maa, Itachi-kun. I guess Rin really is right – you _are_ jealous."

Itachi turned and leveled him with such a glare, Obito felt his blood freeze. But the implied death threat wasn't the only reason. "Itachi – when'd you get the Sharingan?"

The red orbs whirled out of sight faster than you could say "Not it."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Itachi said firmly, his serious look stunning Obito into silence. "_You_ didn't see anything."

Obito collapsed onto the steps. "Itachi…"

"Sharingan's not all its cut out to be, and I don't want to be labeled a 'prodigy' more than I already am."

"Do your parents know at least?"

When Itachi shot him an '_are you kidding me?' _look, Obito laughed nervously. "Yeah, I guess that's a dumb question. Uncle Fukagu would announce it to everyone he'd happen to come across." Obito puffed up his chest and curled down his lower lip, pulling down the corners of his mouth. He looked down his nose at his younger cousin. "Have any of you heard about my son? Of course you have, but I must remind you of just how a immense his genius is! My son is the first to open the" He winked. "…'shower head' at the age of six! Isn't he amazing ladies and gentlemen? What? What's that you say? Is this the only reason I've called an emergency meeting? Why of course it is! What better reason could there possibly be?" Both boys laughed, sniggering behind their hands at the impersonation of the Clan Head.

"Pretty good," Itachi chortled. "But I would stick to your day job. If not, otosan might just kill you."

Obito raised a fist. "None shall hold me back! Art cannot be repressed!"

Itachi laughed again.

"Thanks."

"No problem." Obito leaned back on his elbows. "Now about this jealously thing that you have going on…"

Itachi hit his cousin over the head with a rolled up newspaper. "My thanks only goes so far, Obito."

The teenager laughed. "Hey – what about Shinsei? Why aren't you jealous of him?"

"Shinsei and I have an understanding. I don't steal Tsuki-hime, and he won't steal Naoki."

Obito blinked. "Oh, I see. He's a momma's boy then, huh? Well no wonder you two fit together so well."

That day, news spread across the village about how scandalized the Uchiha clan was after two of the sons of the Clan Elders were reported to be running around in an undignified fashion, the older laughing hysterically whilst the younger one hurled himself after him, throwing kunai and flinging insults that made the older women gasp.

Fugaku was frowning more severely than usual that week.

* * *

No sooner had the mysterious runner appeared in Konoha – gasping for breath and begging for help – than Minato's team was summoned to the Hokage's office along with Tsunade. "There's an epidemic in Takani." The Sandaime said the instant they were all there. "I don't want to send you out so soon, but this situation is urgent, and every other able bodied person is on the battle field.

"I'm told that another group of medics has gone to help out, but they can probably use any help they can get. You're probably familiar with them – apparently a certain caravan has three skilled medics in its crew." He glanced significantly at Obito. Tsunade straightened, interest piqued. "You are to take a wagon of food and necessities. By now the medics should have isolated the disease, so you'll be going along for support. By our calculations, they've been there for a week and a half."

"Any questions?"

"When do we leave?" Minato asked.

"Now." Sandaime replied. The shinobi vanished in blurs of color.

* * *

_Takani_

They were still fighting an uphill battle, but slowly yet surely they were winning the war. The children recovered the quickest and soon Haruko had to assign Lee permanently to the exercise detail. Shinsei found this greatly amusing, and spent no little time chuckling about it.

After learning that Shinsei was no idiot who could in fact see what had been under his nose for two years, the Caravan had been much freer with ninjutsu and ijutsu. Haruko – or Sakura, whichever her real name was – could now run checkups without trying to keep it hidden from their youngest member. As did Ino and Tsuki. Haruko had even allowed Naoki to create Kage Bunshin to take care of a very big portion of the work load, but she made him promise not to let the villagers see more than one of him at a time. He'd reluctantly agreed.

Nevertheless, he couldn't wait for reinforcements. The women were almost always on the verge of chakra depletion, eating food pills in dangerous quantities to keep going. They were beginning to look haggard, the lack of sleep catching up with them. Even Tsuki was looking worn around the edges, which was very rare for the generally well-kept woman. Every once in a while, Katashi would take over, using what meager i-jutsu he had to ease a bit of the weight off their shoulders while Chouji would send the girls to bed. Sometimes they'd even have to get Naoki to order them to bed, much to his pleasure.

In fact, Shinsei thought, Naoki derived almost demented delight from instructing people to do inane things, while showing reluctance to order people to do painful or un-enjoyable stuff. As always, it made Shinsei realize just how good he had it now. _Maybe Gin was right. I am like a cat – eventually I land on my feet._

* * *

_Somwhere close to the Iwa Border_

Obito marched forward, an anticipatory grin etched across his face. Tsunade scowled at him. "You shouldn't look so happy, brat." Landing on another tree, the med-nin leaped forward, Shizune right behind her.

"Are you kidding me?" Obito grinned, springing to another branch. "The air is fresh, the sun is shining, Kakashi actually told a joke – okay, a really lame one, but a joke never the less, and I'm about to see Shinsei again. Oh, I'm also out of the hospital. What is there _not_ to be happy about?" Kakashi scowled at him.

"Shut up, dobe." Kakashi groused. "It wasn't a joke! I was serious."

"Right. You really took the long way around the village because of a black cat." Obito cocked an eyebrow. "How stupid do you think I am?"

Kakashi defiantly glared at his friend. "Pretty stupid, but once again you've surprised me. And as if your excuses are any better – a cat up a tree? Monkey ninjas?" He scoffed. "Avalanches? We don't even have snow!"

"Oh yeah! I'll have you know that—"

Tsunade cut in. "Stop, both of you! This is serious. An epidemic is no child's play." She frowned at them. "One bad virus can kill off an entire town in a matter of weeks."

Obito waved a hand carelessly. "Yeah, yeah, we know. But getting all morbid and 'blah'," He stuck his tongue out and waved his hands. "makes the grunts dull boys."

"Grunts?" Rin asked from where she was keeping their six.

Obito nodded sagely. "Yep – in this situation, Kakashi, sensei and I are just people who run around and do your bidding. You doctors are the real miracle workers."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Obito, stick to your day job. Witty comments and comedian acts only work when you're being unknowingly stupid." Rin frowned.

"That's not nice to say, Kakashi-san."

"Yeah," Tsunade added, reverting back to her childish nature. "I know we're all thinking it, but it's rude to declare it out loud."

Shizune gasped reprovingly. "Tsunade-sama!"

"What?" The girl glared at her mentor pointedly until Tsunade reluctantly looked away. "Hmph."

Behind them all, Minato watched the interaction with a grin. There'd been a stark change in the team dynamics in the last four weeks. Ever since Rin's capture and the rescue that had nearly resulted in Obito's death, they'd changed roles quite abruptly. Rin had been spending a lot of time with the genjutsu experts, picking up hints for offensive and defensive strategies from them. Minato's gut feeling told him that her new fervor for attacking techniques stemmed from her desire never to be so helpless again. She'd started to lean less and less on the boys, something that made him both proud and sad.

He worried about her, however. While she'd grown closer to Obito, her interaction with Kakashi was stiff, almost discomfited. Even as Minato appreciated the lack of fan-girliness, he disliked the new coldness just as much, if not more. What was worse, Kakashi seemed to know where it came from and almost welcomed it, seeming to accept her hostility as a price for his… what?

That 'what' was something Minato couldn't pin point. But whatever 'what' was, it had been a center point for the interaction of his team. It was what had made Obito defensive, Kakashi hostile, and forced Rin into nervous peacekeeper. Because of 'what,' Kakashi and Obito had never been friends, only rivals. Now that 'what' had changed, and because of that they were becoming inseparable while Rin, who had always been watching Kakashi as closely as she could, was drawing back.

In a way the leadership of the team had changed. While Kakashi was still team captain – because of rank if for nothing else – Obito was playing the mentor, helping Kakashi break the bonds of rules and ritual that had ruled his life from the age of six. He and Itachi were working together to show the young jounin that showing up a little late with a ridiculous excuse was a good way to break up tension. Itachi had tried to include the older boy in one of his pranks, before decided with disgust that Kakashi still needed a lot more work before he was good enough for that. Minato had burst out laughing when a disgusted and offended Kakashi had informed him of that fact.

Rin had looked on in silence before turning around and walking away. Minato hadn't missed the slump of Kakashi's shoulders, or the flash of guilt the boy hadn't been able to hide.

"_She'll forgive you in time."_ _Minato said softly._

"_Maybe." Kakashi replied, not believing it for a minute. He looked away. _

_Obito sighed. "Just give Rin time. She'll get over it. C'mon. I want to go annoy that blond chick, Tsunade-baabaa or something." Minato sweat-dropped._

"_Ehe – Obito, I don't think that's such a good ide—"Minato said, lifting up a hand, his smile edgy._

_Obito ignored him, determined to persuade Kakashi to come along too. "It'll be fun!"_

Obito had to get stitches, and Kakashi proved to be very good at avoiding blond women for the next two days. Minato and Jiraiya had shared a laugh over it, but they agreed that the boys were probably doing Tsunade a world of good by getting her out of the dark world she'd holed herself up in, with sake and Shizune as her only companions. They'd actually been amazed at how quickly the two boys had forced her out of her shell, though dumping a bucket of white paint on her head when she was coming out of the hospital might have had something to do with that.

Not to say that she was cured. She still froze at the sight of blood, which restricted her to working in the chakra department, and she hadn't fought anyone since Dan's funeral when she knocked off an entire platoon of Iwa-nin in her grief. Even then, she hadn't killed anyone. And while not so vehemently as before, she still spoke of leaving the village, only staying so she could learn more of the mysterious chakra that Haruko-san had used on Obito.

At Minato's behest, she'd also started teaching Rin some of her more 'advanced' i-jutsu. "_This doesn't make her my apprentice, though."_ Tsunade had stated firmly. "_It won't keep me from leaving when the time comes."_

A cold feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. As they made their way to the village, and by extension the Caravan and Haruko, Minato feared that the time of her leaving was getting close.

* * *

_Takani_

Naoki came up alongside the boy as Shinsei worked to hoe some of the earth so they could plant crops. The plan was to put the seeds in the ground, then they would channel chakra to the roots, increasing the growth rate. "Have you learned why we're doing this yet?" Naoki asked, fingers laced behind his head.

Shinsei thought for a moment, leaning on his hoe. He watched the children running and playing tag with Lee. He saw the men and women who were slowly getting stronger, and he watched the trio of medic nins take care of those who still weren't doing so well. He saw at _least_ seven kids who he knew wouldn't have survived without him, Shinsei, specifically. He'd been the one to discover them in various stages of death and bring them to one of the trio's attention. He'd been the one to clean out the littlest girl's lungs when even seconds would have caused brain damage.

_Yeah, I understand, Naoki-sama._ Shinsei thought to himself. Then, mischievously he turned to the blond. "No." Naoki face vaulted. "And I find myself increasingly annoyed that we used valuable silk from Grass as bandages. It's a waste of resources. Now you're jacket on the other hand…" He glared pointedly at the black and orange trench coat hanging in rags on the older teen's shoulders.

Naoki sprang back, his hand coming protectively to his coat. "Don't mess with the coat, Shinsei."

Shinsei laughed, shaking his head. "Well, I take it you're my replacement, so here you go. I promised Aya-chan a round of tag!" With a cheerful wave he darted off.

"Hey!" Naoki yelled, shaking his fist. "Get back here! Slacker! Cheater! Chibi-Katashi!"

Shinsei just laughed, dashing down the hill to join in on the games for a little while before Haruko found something else for him to do.

Just then, the guards outside announced the welcome of the Shinobi of the Leaf. When the gate opened and Obito's team entered along with a blond woman and little girl, Shinsei turned around to watch Naoki pause in mid hoe, a small smirk on his face. "Heh." Naoki said. "I figured that'd bring her running."

Things were about to get very interesting around here.

Shinsei was surprised to find he was looking forward to it.

* * *

Tbc..

Well, here it is! I hope all of you enjoyed it!

Thoughts? Suggestions? Questions? Comments?

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(look, I can even to tricks - want to see me sit? rollover? Or maybe you just prefer me to get back to writing...)


	13. Making Waves

Hey All! Thank you for the reviews! I'm sorry this took so long to upload - it was supposed to be up two days ago, but then wasn't letting me upload. /

Well, I hope this chapter meets everyone's satisfaction. Special thanks to my Beta, Pheonex-Claw for taking the time out of his busy, busy week to editi it.

If I have NOT replied to your review, please forgive me. I'll try to reply to it as soon as possible.

**Author's Note: **Unfortunately, replying to reviews has been delayed, as I developed carpal tunnel - it's gone down a lot, but my hand's still stubbornly quirky. I'll try to answer the reviews when I can, but I also have to ballance out school, after school activities, and writing the next chapter. So - long story short, I WILL reply to your reviews, I just don't know how long that'll take.

--

Chapter Thirteen

--

Tsunade didn't know what she expected when she entered the village… scratch that. She knew exactly what she had expected. She expected chaos – untrained field-doctors running around, people unattended, filth left un-dealt with, dead bodies piling up. She didn't expect the professional efficiency. She didn't expect to see rows upon rows of patients, separated into what looked like different sections, with each section having its own supervisor. Tents had been erected over the sick people, the wretched buildings around them apparently unsuitable for use. Either that or the patients were out to get a little fresh air, and, glancing at those bereft of the cover of a tent, a little sun as well.

She shrugged off her pack, lowering the heavy bag to the ground. It was stuffed with medicine, food, and bandages, as were the five other packs that her companions carried. A wagon of more supplies would be arriving soon. She walked forward, looking around for the person in charge.

"Oi! Are you guys the reinforcements?" someone called. Tsunade turned her head to see a blond run up, waving a hand over his head. He skidded to a halt in front of her. "We thought you'd never get here."

The guy was built low and compact, with broad shoulders like a brawler. He looked to be eighteen. Blond hair, eerily reminiscent of Namikaze's stuck out all over the place while blue eyes flicked with red scanned over them happily. She could tell he was smiling only by the crinkling of his eyes as his mouth was hidden by a white mask. "Who are you?" She snapped out.

The man reeled back, hand on his chest. "I'm offended. Hey brat!" He yelled over her shoulder at Obito. "You mean you haven't told her 'bout me? I'm insulted!" Turning back to Tsunade, he spread out his hands with flair. "I'm the one, the only, the amazing," He struck a pose that reminded her of Jiraiya. "Naoki!"

Tsunade lifted an eyebrow, unimpressed.

"But seriously," The man continued, eyes sobering. "It's good to have back up. We've identified the illness as Taigyou. We've been able to treat the symptoms, and Haruko is working on a cure. It's mutated, so the old recipe isn't working anymore. You can talk to Haruko to get the details."

Tsunade nodded. _Maybe this punk isn't as useless as he seems._ "Where do I find her?"

"Go down two blocks, turn left." He turned around to point. "She's at the end of the streets where we have the 'kitchen,' supplies and her lab."

Tsunade didn't bother to nod her thanks. "Shizune, Rin. Let's go."

Both girls nodded and took off after her, becoming blurs of color in their speed. Naoki watched them vanish with a hint of a smile. Then he turned back to the boys in front of him. Cackling evilly, he rubbed his hands together. "Welcome," He purred. "To the worst days of your puny little lives." He threw Obito a shovel, Kakashi some blankets, and Minato a hoe. "You guys are now recruited to grunt work. Let's get busy, shall we?"

_And Obito's been looking _forward_ to this? _Kakashi thought with a groan, looking at his teammate. _I'm gonna kill 'im._

_--_

Sarutobi glared down at the pieces of paper before him. For the last few months, small tidbits of information had been coming to him from an unknown source in various ways. Small whispers had found his ears about Orochimaru, casting his previously trusted student in a dark light. What was worse, none of the implied accusations could be refuted. He wished he could find the mysterious informant and drag out where he got his information.

They came in puzzling ways, sometimes a code on a candy wrapper, sometimes photos that pointed out inconsistencies in reports turned in by a certain Sannin. Other times it was cryptic warnings that made him dig deeper, until he was over his head in discovered conspiracies and disparities that he couldn't find his way back up to even breathe. Scowling, he glared at the words painted on his wall. He wished whoever was sending him the messages would stop sending them in the form of jokes, puns and riddles. By the time he finished deciphering one and searching for the information hinted at, another one would come his way.

Glaring again at the red writing spray-painted on his wall, he reached over and hit the button to call ANBU and request a certain operative. For once, he'd like to get a leg up on his mysterious informant and here was the way to do it.

In a flash, a man with a hawk mask was kneeling in front of him. "Hai, Hokage-Sama."

"I have a little job for you…" Sarutobi started, looking at the ANBU gravely.

--

_Takani_

Sakura welcomed Shizune and Rin's help, and she doubly welcomed Tsunade. The extra hands made her job easier, giving Hinata and Ino a well-deserved break. She also appreciated Tsunade's input in the virus, but she'd be thankful for her a lot more if she'd Leave. Her. Alone. Tsunade was hounding her hour after hour about the chakra she'd used on Obito. She pestered her whenever she had a free moment. While Sakura had known this pestering was an inevitable – and planned – side effect of revealing her special ijutsu, she'd thought it would have happened when she had somewhere to escape. Say… out of the village, perhaps?

On the bright side, Tsunade never bothered her when they were doing something that required intense concentration. So she happily skipped off to heal bleeding lungs, internal burns, and bursting boils to escape the probing interrogation. _Shannero! I didn't sign up for the Spanish Inquisition!_

She was avoiding her former – or was it future? – mentor right now by checking up on the children. Smiling as she watched Lee chase them around the yard, she turned to wander off. If she walked _really _slow, it might take ten minutes before getting back to the lab. No one would die if she took a break for a little while now that Shishou was here. Chouji jumped off one of the roofs to join her. "Hey Sakura!"

"Chouji." She acknowledged tiredly. The Akimichi took a moment to look her over.

"You don't look so good."

"Really?" Sakura shot back sarcastically. "I hadn't noticed!"

Chouji drew away, his kind face affronted. Sakura sighed and winced her apology. Chouji grinned. "See – if you were rested, you wouldn't be so snappish."

Sakura glared at him. "Was there something you wanted to talk about?"

"Yep! I need to know if I should change the diet – add more protein and carbs. If there really is a wagon coming, we can add more meat into the soups and less water. I'm worried about the weight of the children, especially the younger ones." He pointed towards the three and four year olds. "Malnutrition has its greatest effects from ages three to ten. If we don't get their weight up, they'll be stunted physically and mentally."

Sakura nodded. "Right. I'm also worried about some of the pregnant women. They're eating for two after all." She thought it through. "Do we have enough supplies to do it?"

"It'd cut us down a month, but if the wagon comes…" Chouji shrugged.

Sakura nodded. "What did Na-Naoki say?"

"He said it's all right with him, but to ask you." He smiled. "He also said that if we need more food, we're all jounins and perfectly capable of stealing rations from our friendly neighborhood watchdogs."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Is that what he's calling them this week? Think he's going with a theme – Amicable Fiends, Captains of Paranoid Security, The Welcoming Committee of Stalic Thirteen, Affable Fluffy…" She glanced at the children as she bit back the word on her lips. "Er…"

Chouji laughed. "I remember. I dunno – I think he's just having fun."

"I didn't know he knew words like 'affable.'" Sakura shook her head, forcing herself to come back to the matter at hand. She really needed to rest more, she acknowledged. Her attention span was getting shorter and shorter. And there were some suspicious gaps in her memory. Once she'd found herself taking care of a row of patients without even knowing how she'd gotten there. "If he said it was okay, who am I to protest?"

Nodding, Chouji quickly left to get back to his wares. After the conflict with Yuri, they hadn't left the supplies unguarded, especially after he and his associates had tried to… liberate… some extra snacks and blankets. Huffing in disgust, Sakura turned away, marching over to the section reserved for the intermediates – not dying, but not completely healthy. She'd relieve Ino. Maybe then she'd have some peace of mind.

She completely forgot about going back to work with Tsunade.

--

"Why do you do it?"

Shinsei looked up from where he was washing out yet another soiled blanket. A stinky pile was sitting next to him. Kakashi had his own pile, while Obito was helping with the food distribution. However, his immediate worry was Yuri, who was towering over him with a scowl.

"Do what?" Shinsei asked looking up at him. Their position had him at a disadvantage, giving Yuri an edge. The young man was clearly milking it with all his worth, leaning forward just a hint to make himself more intimidating. The man's scowl twisted into a superior smirk. Across from him, Kakashi tensed, grey eyes fixed on Yuri, muscles bunched to attack at any indication of violence against his friend. Shinsei twisted around to face the older man, his legs bunched up under him, prepared to spring away. He didn't trust Yuri as far as he could throw him. In fact, he trusted him far less, having always been quite capable of moving his enemies to a distance when the need arose.

"Heh." Yuri sneered. "Doesn't matter. You're just trash cleaning up other people's refuse." Kakashi tensed. Shinsei sent him a glare over his shoulder. _There's no need to fight, not yet._ The man hadn't called him anything Shinsei hadn't been called before, and Tsuki-hime would _kill _him if he got into a fight over something so infantile. Kakashi glared, wishing Obito was here. Then at least someone would be hurling insults back.

"You and your little band of misfits." Yuri continued, even as Shinsei's eyes narrowed. "You came in here, prancing around like you own the place. Ordering us here and there, rationing our food like we're cattle. You decide to give the best to the least deserving! And then? Then what do you do? You call for help from people like _them." _He jerked his chin towards Kakashi. "They aren't even from Iwa!"

"Watch what you say, Yuri-san." Shinsei warned. "You may insult me all you wish, but I lay down the line at ridiculing my companions."

Yuri laughed. "What are you going to do – hit me? You'd only reach my ankles." He smirked. "Or are you planning to hide behind your shinobi friends?" Yuri sniffed, tossing his head. At that, Shinsei relaxed completely. _This idiot isn't worth my time. My companions and I have been practicing the shinobi arts all week before reinforcements arrived. If he has not noted this, he is an unobservant fool. _Swiveling on his heels, Shinsei returned to his laundry.

It would have been a tactical mistake, had Yuri been a ninja. But Yuri was a civilian, and one who flaunted his movements blatantly.

Yuri reddened, the insult clearly received. He reached over to yank Shinsei around by his shoulder. "You stupid son of the blind whore!" Shinsei's eyes sharpened even as he spun around. In a blur of movement he'd escaped the grasp of the surprised villager. Snatching Yuri's knife from his waist band – a knife he wasn't even supposed to have because of unruly behavior – Shinsei cut down sharply with the hilt, smashing the white ebony wood harshly on the back of Yuri's head.

Even as the man staggered with eyes unfocused, Shinsei kicked his feet out from under him. Before the man could even hit the ground, Shinsei slid beneath. He launched himself up by his shoulders, landing a kick in the middle of the villager's back.

"Never." Another kick landed on his back, lifting the man higher into the air. "Insult." The next kick caught Yuri as he spun around, landing in his solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him. "Tsuki." Shinsei launched himself up even higher, slamming his leg down in a move he'd seen Lee perform a hundred times while sparring. "-hime!"

Yuki crashed to the ground, groaning. Fragile bones couldn't take the strain and the man coughed wetly. His rage fading, Shinsei looked upon his handiwork with growing dread. "_Oh…sh-_shoot." He groaned. "Haruko's gonna _kill_ me."

Kakashi stared at the broken and bleeding man. He was absently aware that if he hadn't been wearing a mask, his jaw would have been down somewhere below his knees. "Erm…" He said eloquently.

"Shinsei! Kakashi! I'm finally done the… _whoa_." Obito skid to a halt, wide eyes staring at the man. "What happened to _him."_ A pause. "Does he need a doctor?"

Kakashi glared at his friend. "No, he's spitting up blood because it's fun. Baka. What do _you_ think?"

"_Teme…" _Obito growled out, taking a step forward, fist raised. Shinsei cut in. "Perhaps we should take him to Rin-chan so that I can escape before Haruko, or worse, Tsuki-hime finds out about this."

Obito started. "Eh? You mean…" The Uchiha blinked. He staggered back a step. "_You did this?_"

"It was an accident!" Shinsei protested.

Obito looked at the body skeptically. "Quite some damage for an 'accident.'" He knelt beside the guy, hands making rapid seals. Lifting both arms and the elbows, he slammed his fists into the ground beside the body. "Doton – Fushido Ichuu!"The ground rose up around the body, making a moving mattress. Smiling, Obito stood up, dusting off his hands. "Okay then. Let's find Rin!"

His teammate stared at the mattress incredulously. "You know a justsu that makes mattresses?" Kakashi wacked Obito on the back of the head. "Stop learning such useless jutsu, dobe!"

"It's not useless!" Obito protested. "Have you _tried _sleeping on rocky ground? Not. Comfortable."

The other boy reddened.

"Of course I've tried sleeping on rocky ground! I'm not a pampered pansy!" Obito gasped.

"Why you…" The Uchiha proceeded to call Kakashi many names which were deemed inappropriate by all social parameters.

Meanwhile, Shinsei's face filled with newfound hope. _Maybe Haruko _won't_ find out and kill me…_

Kakashi, who was steadfastly ignoring his friend, soon put an end to his wishful thinking. "You know, when he wakes up, the tattletale's going to go straight to Sensei or Naoki-san to complain, right?"

Shinsei paled.

Obito looked Yuri over speculatively.

"Maybe we should just dump him in the river."

--

Ino groaned, arching backwards to crack her back, shuddering in delight as a chorus of cricks met her ears. "Ah, that felt good." She'd spent hours bent over different people, easing her chakra into the different hurts and aches. While Ino had never been the best of medics – in fact, some had gone so far as to say her skills were abysmal – she still knew how to stitch the lining of the stomach wall.

"Ino-san, Tsunade-sama says it's time to take them in." Rin ran up to her with Kiba on her heels. Nodding, her break over, Ino stood up and went to the front of the line. She and Kiba began the tedious task of carrying person after person into a select warehouse for the night. Rin ran along down to the next station to tell Tsuki that it was curfew, and to help move her stretchers. When the Konoha-nin was out of earshot, Ino grinned at Kiba. "How's it goin'."

"Like clockwork." Kiba replied out of the corner of his mouth, pitched so that the person on the cot between them would have had to strain to hear. Ino had no such problem, easily reading his lips. "Haruko's got her running in circles, just dropping an occasional hint. If I didn't know better, I'd swear it was you under a henge."

Ino laughed. "That's my girl." She said proudly. "How's the hemaphobia coming?" She smirked wickedly. "That means a fear of blood Ki—"

"I know!" He hissed, annoyed. "The jokes weren't funny a week ago, and they aren't funny now." Seeing Ino's grin widen, Kiba rolled his eyes. "Sadist."

"And proud of it. Now, what about Tsunade?"

"Sakura's working on it. She's had to call in Naru…Naoki several times to give one of his speeches. Unfortunately, we don't have the history Narut…" He growled in frustration. Kiba _hated_ their false names with a passion, saying it was just as bad as changing your smell. "_Naoki_ had with her last time. So, it's a little bit harder to form a bond now. But, he's found a helper in Obito."

"The Uchiha?" Ino repeated, surprised. "Okay, I totally didn't expect that!"

Kiba grinned. "Yep. Looks like he's taking Naruto's place in her heart, something that I'm sure will get our Great and Fearless Leader ticked off at some point or other." He shrugged. "He looks okay with it right now though. In fact, he almost seems… relieved."

"I'm not surprised." Ino said, startling her companion. Kiba raised an eyebrow in question. Ino tilted her head. "Naoki," here she smirked at Kiba, gloating, "…has the fate of a lot of people on his shoulders. Gaara, Sarutobi-sama, Minato-san, Kushina, Sasuke, the entire village of Konoha…" Blue eyes softened fondly. "He's not doing it for the glory. He's doing it because he can. He doesn't care if it's with _him_ that Tsunade forms her bond, even if a very large part of him will miss his 'oh-baa-san'. He just wants her to be happy. And if that happiness comes from a black haired boy with red eyes who likes picking fights with immature Inuzuka's…" She hid her smirk as she set her side of the cot down. "Well, then he's going to be okay."

"Hey!" Kiba glared, coming around to walk beside her. "I was totally in my rights! The little rat insulted me!"

Ino grinned, punching him in the arm as they made their way to the door. "Yeah, sure. Way to be the bigger man, Kiba!" She pumped her fist in the air. "Show that punk who's boss!"

The Inuzuka snarled playfully, shoving her gently into the door jam. Laughing, Ino shoved him back, and he had to take several stumbling steps forward to keep from falling. Ino giggled and raced to reach the next cot first, not wanting to be the one walking backwards this time. The snarling Kiba ran after her.

And if they happened to be putting on a comedy act that brightened the patients day, giving them something to gossip about after the sun set and the warehouse grew dark, it probably wasn't intentional.

--

Naruto wondered if this was what it would have been like if he'd grown up with his father. They were working side by side, hurrying to get the last meal of the day to everyone before it got dark. The bonfires they'd lit in the middle of the streets didn't cast a lot of light inside, but it made the buildings warmer. Those same buildings also kept out most of the smoke, which would have been deadly for some.

Minato was calm, always levelheaded even when things were going bad like a jutsu with no chakra. Naruto had yet to see the man's temper snap, even when some of the more… cantankerous… of the patients were being impossible by demanding irrational things or just being a pain in the neck. Naruto himself had had to restrain himself from wringing someone's neck, especially of that idiot Yuri who was always hanging around, complaining about this or that. Minato literally had to drag the younger man away, glaring at Yuri and sheepishly laughing at Naruto in turns.

Naruto felt his respect for Minato going up steadily over the last two days since the Konoha nins arrived. Sure, Naruto had always known that the Yondaime had been strong, and it was pretty much a given that he would have a good head on his shoulders, but the determination, kindness, and pure compassion of the man caught him off guard. It had taken Naruto a few months to get past his wariness for the man. After all, the guy _did_ seal a monster in his stomach.

Unfortunately, Naruto discovered where exactly he'd gained his natural charisma. Within a year, he and his dad had been friends, family even as Naoki adopted the role of a long lost cousin. It was close enough to his real relation, he decided. And as Kakashi didn't remember any long lost cousin popping up, it was pretty certain he'd never have anyone to contest it. And if said long lost cousin _did_ show up, he could simply said that he had never made claims to the Namikaze name, simply gone along with the logical theory.

One thing he had learned about his father, however, was the struggle he had with diplomacy. Sure, he was nowhere _near_ as bad as Kushina – who, Naruto had to admit, was the _worst_ diplomat to ever stand on the surface of the earth - but he certainly wasn't a natural. Jiraiya had been training him for four years now, and the Namikaze heir still wasn't allowed anywhere near a diplomatic meeting unless as a show of power.

His improvement showed in the way he didn't redden and threaten to kill Yuki seven ways till Sunday two hours after meeting him. His lack showed when he finally marched away so he wouldn't kill the man, his killer intent making at least three people sick. Haruko and Tsunade had sentenced him to clean up in punishment.

Later, Naruto reflected that it was father and son's lack of diplomacy that made the situation with Yuri and Shinsei so rib-cracking-funny.

--

They first found out about the whole mess when Haruko marched up to them, her face stormy. "I think you'd better come with me." She hissed. Minato and Naruto exchanged confused shrugs and from the look on Minato's face, it was apparent he was going through everything he'd done today to be on the receiving end of wrath of the medic with cherry hair. Naruto couldn't blame him, as he was doing the same thing. Curiosity piqued, the men followed her whispering all the way about what could have possibly earned her ire.

Minato was just suggesting something along the lines of manna falling from heaven and hitting Tsunade on the head, which promptly sparked her wrath, causing her to strike out at Obito, who was flung through several walls which created a dispute with the guards outside – which, by the way, he _still_ couldn't believe were from Iwa, even if they did confine their sick without a doctor – creating a diplomatic dispute that needed his expertise to resolve, when they arrived at the wagon. Naruto listened to him, nodding sagely at the right moments, before adding that Ino and Kiba might have launched into a hail of insults at the guards, spiking their ire to all new heights.

However, their explanations fell to the roadside as they took in the sight of Yuki unconscious in a heap on the ground, Shinsei kneeling sheepishly beside him, Obito and Kakashi standing behind. The rest of the group stood around in a semi-circle. Minato took one look and darted forward. "Obito! _What_ did you _do?"_

"Me!" Obito exclaimed. "Why do you always assume it was me! I'll have you know I had no fault in this."

"Abetting a crime is still a crime, Obito." Kakashi said solemnly from his side.

Minato paused. "_Kakashi?_"

Kakashi glared at his sensei, annoyed. "While I am… forced to admit that I also helped in this crime, I was not the cause of these injuries, Minato-sensei."

Naoki sighed. "Well… that leaves one option." Minato looked affronted and was about to open his mouth to assure the crowd that there was no way _Rin_ would have anything to do with this, when Naoki continued. "Shinsei, I hope you have a good explanation."

Minato stopped in mid word, staring at the sheepishly quiet boy below.

Kiba grunted. "Of course the brat has a good reason. The guy can't make a spontaneous decision if his chores depended on it." When Hinata glared at him, reaching out to nudge him in the stomach – with a hint of chakra to his kidneys – he yelped. "What? It was a joke!"

Neji glared at the man. "Kiba, no one appreciates inane comments." He looked pointedly forward. "Better to keep your mouth shut and have people think you a fool than to open your mouth and confirm it."

The Inuzuka growled. Sakura let out a huff of exasperation, reaching over to slap both boys on the tops of their heads. "Both of you – now isn't the time for silly rivalries." She turned her icy gaze back on Shinsei. "Shinsei, can you tell us why exactly you attacked Yuki…" She hesitated, "…san." She frowned. "I don't know what he said to you, but violence, especially to this extreme is _never_ a good alternative."

"More like Yuki-tem…" Hinata stepped on Kiba's foot, smiling serenely as he hoped around holding the appendage and swearing vilely.

"Please continue, Haruko." Tsuki said calmly. "And please forgive my friend. He knows not the… influence that he has."

Sakura nodded her thanks and turned back to the matter at hand, ignoring Kiba's comments of uptight women who just weren't any fun anymore. "Shinsei?" The boy muttered something under his breath. Haruko frowned. "I'm sorry – what?"

"I said he called Tsuki-hime a…" The boy was as white as his hair.

Naoki knelt down in front of him. "A what, Shinsei."

Shinsei's fists clenched as he gritted out, "A whore."

And just like that, all movement and noise was blown out.

"He. Said. _What?" _Neji growled out, moving in front of Hinata as if he expected the piece of trash to sit up and start attacking her verbally right there and then.

Hinata stood ramrod straight, her mouth slightly open in shock.

"Well, …" Kiba said something that made Tsuki hiss and remind him that there were _children _present, "Why didn't you say so? Neji and I would have helped you hide the body." The dog user glared. "In fact, we still can. Naoki?"

The blond knelt with his head bowed, fists clenched tightly at his sides. He was trembling slightly as if he were physically restraining himself from attacking the downed man. "Kiba, I don't think you should be offering such things to me right now." He straightened, his hand coming up to ruffle white locks. "You did good, Shinsei. Not a man among us would have withstood for such a slur."

Minato looked at his own students. "You knew about this?"

"Aa." Kakashi answered. "I was there when it happened, but Shinsei reacted before I could move, either to stop him or inflict the damage myself."

Katashi – who Kakashi had been avoiding like the plague – laughed, coming up from where he'd been leaning against the back of the wagon, silently mocking them. "Ah, Shin-chan's quite the expert at fast movement. I doubt you would have caught him even if you had been able to move." The oldest of the group walked forward till he could squat down beside the body. "It looks like you were very thorough." Glancing over at Haruko, the man grinned mischievously, before standing up in a flash and kicking Yuki over a few feet.

"_Katashi!"_ Haruko shrieked, grabbing the man by his collar and shaking him around like a wet noodle.

"Oh let him be." Ino laughed. "The jerk had it coming." She walked over to Kiba, non-verbally stating that she was in his court. "If you want to punish him some more, send him my way. We can't let him insult the princess."

Hinata started. "I-I-Ino-san!" She cried, spinning around in distress, stuttering for the first time in years. When Neji actually seemed to be contemplating it, Hinata reddened from her neck to the tips of her ears. "Neji!"

Shinsei winced. It looked like he wasn't in trouble, which he was _very_ thankful for, but Tsuki-hime's distress was almost as painful. It was nearly as bad as the pure disappointment that had been on her face minutes ago.

Minato placed a hand on his shoulder. "She's not mad at you." He whispered quietly. "She's just embarrassed because everyone is getting defensive on her account." Minato bit his lip, thinking it would be best if the kids were away for now. Standing up he glanced at Noaki, who, reading his dad's intentions, gave his assent with a nod. "Obito, Kakashi, why don't you take Shinsei and find Rin. You kids deserve a break. I'm sure Katashi would love to…"

He glanced at the trails of dirt starting where his students and Shinsei has stood and chuckled. "Katashi-san, I don't know what torture you've put those kids through, and I'm sure I don't _want _to know, but you've certainly got them well trained."

"Isn't youth such a beautiful thing?" Katashi replied, dusting himself off from where Haruko had thrown him to the ground.

"Katashi!" Lee yelled, causing Katashi's eyes to widened comically as if he hadn't noticed the young man standing right behind him. "Can it be that my ears have not deceived me? Can it be that you have finally acknowledged the flames of youth? Can it be, that you, who have so often cut down the glorious spirit that is Youth, who has so often ignored my call to join the ranks of those impassioned, has finally admitted defeat?"

Lee appeared between the two men, a hand on their shoulders. He ignored Minato's panicked look in favor of the indifferent from Katashi. "This is a day I shall always treasure in my memory! Gai-sensei! We have finally won over the most difficult of opponents. I know that wherever you are, you are looking down on me with your wondrous smile, which blinds all in its brilliance and sincerity! Do you not agree, Mentor's Rival Katashi?"

Katashi casually pulled out a book from his back pocket and flipped to his favorite part. "Hm? Did you say something?"

Lee gaped. "_OOoohh!" _He made a fist. "Katashi is so hip! That is why he was Gai-sensei's rival!" As Lee continued to sprout words about Katashi, some guy named Gai, and the Passion of Youth (which was clearly stated in capital letters,) Shikamaru politely steered the shell-shocked jounin away.

"It's best to ignore him when he's in a mood." Shikamaru sighed. "Listening to him can be _such_ a drag."

--

Rin glared at the boys in front of her. The trio was bent over, huffing and puffing, resting their weight on their knees. Rolling her eyes, the brown-haired girl sighed, grasping a jug of purified water. "Here, drink up." She tossed it over to them. Obito caught it in mid air and began chugging, pushing away Shinsei with a hand on his forehead as the younger boy tried to grab the jug for his own share.

"Hey!" Shinsei said, trying to wrap his hands around Obito so as to get water. "Share!"

"Get your own water." Obito shot back.

Shinsei lunged, only to have Obito turn away, lips still glued to the mouth of the bottle. "Hand it over!"

"No!"

As Shinsei and Obito continued to fight over the jug, Kakashi calmly made his way over to a supply pile and retrieved a fresh one, smirking slightly at the arguing boys when he took a swig. Rin sighed and returned to her work, smiling fondly at Obito.

She didn't glance over at Kakashi.

--

She didn't know what to think of him now. Kakashi. She knew that she shouldn't hold the last mission against him. Knew that he felt guilty, knew that he was letting her belittle him because he felt like he was in her debt. Knew she should stop ignoring him, stop giving him the cold shoulder, stop walking away when he walked forward.

She knew that.

But could she _do _that? Did she _want_ to do that?

That was what she didn't know.

An ugly, inner part of her that she'd never known before wanted him to suffer. It was black and putrid and wanted to rip Kakashi apart. It was always on the tip of her tongue, ready to lash out and rip him to shreds. It wanted to punish him for everything she'd gone through, for the beating, for the horrid gen-jutsu, and most of all for the feeling of cold despair as she knew that this was the end. That her teammates wouldn't be coming.

Rin wanted to be the 'bigger man' and forgive him. She wanted to be compassionate and warm, but she couldn't. She felt cold all the time now. Inside and outside, except when she was facing Kakashi. Then the blackness rose up in her, filling her with the scorching heat of anger, and she had to fight not to say the nasty words that came to her mind.

She didn't want to feel like this anymore.

But how did she stop?

_Someone, please help me stop._

--

Minato and Naruto were on break; that is to say, they'd taken charge of an area where everyone was sleeping and were spending the rest of the hour talking. It started out rather light and lame. The latest sports stars were discussed, girls (during which, Naruto learned more about his mother than he really wanted to), and comparing horror stories about the jobs Haruko and Tsunade had assigned them.

Naruto was just in the middle of sharing a rather gory tale about a man, a bag of vomit, and a wayward stone, when Minato abruptly turned the conversation in a very different direction.

"What… how…" Minato winced and cleared his throat, starting over again. "What was it like for you – before you joined up with the Caravan?"

Naruto fell silent in mid sentence, his eyes shuttered. Minato, glancing at his stony face, cringed and looked away.

It was an issue they'd always danced around: where Naoki had come from, how he got there, who he'd lived with. Minato wasn't a fool. He knew his 'cousin' had lived a hard life – It was obvious from the clothing he chose – cheap, practical – to the food he ate – cheap, filling – to the way he took care of his group – protective, attentive, cautious, suspicious. Naoki always seemed to be on the lookout for a spot to sleep, food to eat, and a way to save a bit more money. These were the classic signs of a street urchin, signs of an existence that was guaranteed by a constant watch for the next place to sleep, or for a place where they could get a free meal.

On his part, Naruto didn't like to think of the days 'before.' Before Iruka, before Team Seven, before Jiraiya, before Tsunade.

Before.

But looking at his dad – who was pointedly _not_ looking at him – he knew that his father deserved to know. For nineteen years he'd wanted a dad, and now that he had one he couldn't very well turn around and say, "Just kidding." And on Minato's part, he wanted to be a part of Naruto's family. He wanted to know his 'cousin' so badly his body language almost screamed it.

So Naruto debated with himself, struggling against the hand that seemed to clamp down across his mouth. Should he trust the man beside him, or not? Or better yet, could he trust himself not to dump all his burdens onto the man beside him. And oh how he wanted to. To finally feel that weight relieved, to feel as if he could walk instead of stumble.

"It wasn't pleasant." He finally said with difficulty.

Minato looked over him, eyes wide. He clearly hadn't expected Naruto to answer the question. For his part, the younger man nearly didn't go on, the words seeming to be caught in his throat. "I lived pretty much anywhere I could find. Strangers weren't really… welcome. The village was trying to recover from… well…" Naruto moaned silently, leaning forward to burying his face into his hands. It was easier to speak when he wasn't looking at Minato.

"Let's put it this way: I was the village outcast. Because of something that happened right after I arrived, the adults didn't really like me. If it hadn't been for the village elder I probably wouldn't have survived three weeks, much less twelve years. They refused to sell me food, my apartment – a rundown room hardly worth being called an apartment – had a ridiculous rent. In the beginning, before the old man stepped in, I couldn't pay it half the time. When the landowner kicked me out, I slept where I could. Under a bridge, on a door step, in a cardboard box. It didn't matter." He smiled sadly at his hands. "As long as it got me out of the rain, or heat, I was good."

He drew in a shuddering breath. _Why? Why am I telling him this? _He'd never hated any of the villagers, but retelling his early life felt like pouring salt on an open wound. Gritting his teeth, he pressed on. "Food was hard to come by. Even after Oyaji-san stepped in to help with the rent, people charged me ridiculous prices for food. I mean – fourty-five yen for a piece of old bread! How can you justify that?" He looked up to glare at his dad. Minato looked back at him, expressionless. Naruto swallowed thickly and looked down again. "It wasn't all bad. I mean, there was this one man who could make a mean Miso Ramen. He'd always sell at a fair price, and on my birthday he'd even give me a free bowl."

"The worst part was the looks." He studied the ants as they ran around, scurrying about their business. "Hate – that's how they looked at me, if they saw me at all." He snorted. "One year, it was like everyone decided to pretend I didn't exist. I almost wished they'd hate me again, just so that they'd look at me." That was the year he'd started his pranks. "_Better unfavorable attention than no attention at all," _had been his reasoning.

Minato was watching him, body radiating alertness. It felt good to know that his dad was concentrated on _him_. No one else. Just Naruto. "My birthday, or what they told me was my birthday, was the anniversary of… something else and the elder would have to post a guard on me. People were that bitter about what happened." When Minato opened his mouth, Naruto glanced up. "Don't ask. I can't tell you." The older man shut his mouth tightly, displeased. Naruto ignored it, continuing on. "Once or twice they caught me without protection. They didn't leave scars, not visible ones at least."

Naruto's mouth twisted as he sucked on the corner of his lip. Finally he laughed. "But you know what's really strange? I can't hate them for it! I mean, I tried. I really tried. But I couldn't." He grinned at the man, without any trace of distress. Minato wasn't fooled. He knew masks weren't just cloth or an expressionless face. Masks were built for deceiving, and a smile was just as good as a blank stare. Naruto's grin flattened as he met Namikaze's steady gaze.

Blue eyes flashed red in frustration. He didn't want his dad's pity or understanding! He wanted to get this over with so they could forget it ever happened.

Minato didn't react to the redness that permeated through familiar blue eyes. He locked eyes with his son until at last Naruto looked away. "I couldn't hate them for their ignorance. They didn't know any better. And some part of me pitied them. A bigger part of me understood. I mean, they'd lost family, children, friends to…" He drifted off. "Sorry, can't talk about that." Minato nodded, any trace of annoyance gone.

They sat in silence, until finally Naruto sat back, stretching out his legs and leaning on his elbows. "Well, no matter. It's over with now."

For a second, Naruto thought Minato was going to just nod and let it go. He even expected the fellow blond to stand up and walk away. What he didn't expect was for Minato to put an arm around him. Naruto stiffened, his stomach turning into a hard ball of lead in the pit of his stomach.

Suddenly Naruto felt as if he were a puppet with all his strings cut. He slumped into the taller manm his throat closed and cramped. Large, tanned hands came up to entwine themselves in the man's coat. Minato was speaking quietly, as if talking underwater, but his voice comforted Naruto. He knew somewhere in the back of his mind that the Namikaze was just making soothing sounds, but it still calmed him.

It took a moment for him to realize that the sensation on his back was Minato rubbing his hand in gentle circles. That recognition was all that was necessary to shove him over the edge. As Naruto sat with his head bowed, Minato continued to hold him until long past their final shift and the first fingers of the dawn splayed over the edge of the wall.

Neither men ever mentioned the incident again.

_Konoha_

The ANBU snuck from shadow to shadow, tailing the Sannin from a 'safe' distance. Not that he held any illusions. If Orochimaru got wind of him, he wouldn't be safe even seventy miles away, much less twenty feet. His only hope was that the traitor, because the ANBU was becoming more and more convinced that he _was_ a traitor, would have enough interest vested in staying under the radar so as not to kill his tail. It would be rather difficult to explain how a Konoha Shinobi was killed while following him.

Of course, if Orochimaru was involved in half the things the Third was suspecting him of, that wouldn't matter much.

Human experimentation. The abduction, murder, and dissection of members of several prominent clans.

If he'd been asked his opinion on Orochimaru a week ago, the ANBU would have firmly responded that the oldest member of the Sannin was a proud addition to the Konoha Shinobi, a trusted member of which no doubt or blemish should be cast. He would have been proud to serve in the same branch as the Snake-user.

After following the man around, however, he suddenly found himself much less enthusiastic. Orochimaru practically bled malice. His chakra lingered sickeningly, clinging to the ANBU like a stench. It was oily, dirty, vile – wrong.

Depraved.

Cruel.

How this could have slipped by the watchful eye of the ANBU, how even the Hokage himself hadn't discovered it, shocked and amazed the masked figure. Not only that, but it was no secret the Sannin had his eye on the Hokage hat for a while now.

Orochimaru as Hokage.

The ANBU shuddered. At one time he'd have welcomed the change. Now he dreaded it with his entire being.

--

Tsunade looked at her fellow doctor from the corner of her eye. Haruko had proved to be quite skilled, the older woman mused, listening carefully to the chop of her knife against board.

Even strikes, 1.3 seconds apart.

The cherry headed (cherry-headed) lady was an expert on poisons, isolating several key ingredients to the cause of the illness and diagnosing it correctly. Then she'd set about working on an antidote immediately. The progress she'd made in such a limited time was nothing short of amazing.

But Tsunade was worried. Despite the girl's constant avoidance about discussing her fascinating Chakra techniques and healing measures, Tsunade liked her. However, she'd seen a sudden down slope in the girl's work. Twice she'd caught her staring off at nothing. And once, Haruko had suddenly asked her where she was, who Tsunade was, and what she was doing here. She'd been speaking in the speech pattern and voice inflections of a twelve year old girl.

The incident had nearly caused Tsunade to take the younger girl off duty. If it had been a normal hospital, Haruko would have been carted off to the ICU-observation room immediately. As it was, they were short handed, with only two children and two medics who only had basic training for back up. Thus, Tsunade was forced to satisfy herself with keeping Haruko as close as possible so as to monitor her condition.

Haruko swayed, her slices slowed but still even. 2.9 seconds apart. Tsunade turned slightly so she could watch the girl from more than just her peripheral vision. Haruko was pale, green eyes dazed, staring off at something in the distance. 4.45 seconds apart. Haruko's mouth parted, as if she were holding a conversation with someone. 5.0 seconds. She collapsed, her knees buckling under her. Tsunade moved quickly, grabbing the knife before it could cut the girl while easing her to the ground.

A few quick seals later, her hands moved along Haruko's torso, the bright green glow lighting up the tent. She quickly pressed the girl into deeper unconsciousness. "Shizune! Rin!" She knew it was unlikely the 'little helpers' were around, but she was too lazy to haul the limp body to a cot. When no help appeared, Tsunade rolled her eyes and gave it up for a lost cause. Standing, she pulled Haruko's weight up with her. "Good grief, you'd think you'd be lighter after that diet you have yourself on." Tsunade grumbled. She pumped chakra into her muscles before lifting the younger doctor easily. She was just outside the tent when Haruko gave a coughing gasp, startling the woman. Tsunade glanced down at her in time to see blood come hurling out of Haruko's mouth and nose, covering her torso and Tsunade's arms.

Tsunade froze.

_Blood_.

She was covered in blood.

--

Tsuki was finishing up her rounds before handing off the geriatric detail to Shikamaru when she stumbled upon them. Tsunade was on her knees, staring at the body in her arms in dazed horror. Sakura lay in the Sannin's grasp, small seizures moving up and down her body. Blood dribbled down her chin. It drenched her shirt, her arms, and some had splashed onto Tsunade.

Blood. Tsunade.

Tsuki gasped, rushing forwards. Despite the hemoptysis that the victims of Taigyou inevitably suffered, they'd been moderately successful in keeping Tsunade away from blood except in the lab where it was trapped in small vials hidden away in Sakura's drawer. The Slug Princess had never been covered in it like she was now.

Tsuki snatched Haruko's convulsing body from Tsunade's arms. "Ino!" Tsuki screamed, amplifying her voice slightly with chakra. At that moment she was more worried about what was happening with Sakura to care about the jounins detecting chakra. Less than a minute after her frantic scream, she was surrounded by shinobi. She felt Ino help her carry Haruko's body, while Shizune – who had come running – slid down beside Tsunade, wrapping a blanket around her.

"What's wrong with her?" Ino gasped as Sakura's limbs continued to spasm, her hand hitting the former-interrogation operative in the face.

"I don't know!" Hinata yelled back, using a tool to pry open her friend's tightly clenched jaws to make sure she hadn't swallowed her tongue. Seeing that her tongue was stiff, Tsuki removed the appliance. "Get her onto a mat."

She suddenly noticed a flash of yellow and black in the corner of her eye. Spinning around, she watched as Naruto ran into the square. He took in the situation in a glance, worried eyes grazing Sakura's face. He met shot a glace to where he knew the bandages were hiding Hinata's pearly whites before marching over to Tsunade, ire bleeding off of him turning his eyes crimson. Shuddering, Ino and Hinata dragged Sakura off to a mat, not wanting to watch the upcoming confrontation.

Naruto marched over, wincing as he pushed Shizune out of the way. Chouji caught her before she stumbled, a firm hand holding her back as their Leader continued his walk to Tsunade. He reached her and, without breaking a stride, grabbed her by her collar and lifted her up. "Snap out of it!" Tsunade gave a shuddering gasp, her eyes unfocused. Shizune struggled against Chouji's warm hands.

"Let me go!" The girl hissed. She raised her voice to yell at Naruto. "Leave her alone! You don't under—"

"Shut up." Naruto growled, not looking away from the woman in front of him. Minato took a step forward to stop his cousin whilst frowning severely, only to find himself blocked by Kiba and Neji.

Sai came up behind the jounin, pressing a hand against his chest. He leaned forward to whisper in the man's ear. "Trust him. He knows what he's doing." Minato didn't look reassured.

Naruto shook Tsunade and her eyes focused on him. "Nawaki…" She whispered brokenly.

"No." Naruto growled out. "I'm not your brother." Her eyes lowered. "But I'm not even sure you're Nawaki's sister anymore. I doubt he would want to claim this broken shell as a relative." He snorted. "This is what the kid died for? An old hag who's so scared of blood she can't even live up to her dream anymore?" Tsunade glared up at him, pure hatred shinning in her eyes. "You can't even set aside your fear for a friend who's dying right now!"

"Be quiet brat!" Tsunade whispered hoarsely. Naruto's responding laugh echoed harshly.

"Or _what._ What are you going to do to me?" The boy jeered. "Hit me? Kill me? You can't. You're too weak. _You, _my dear, _dear_ Tsunade have abandoned all the ideals which you brother and lover fought for. _Died_ for." He reached down and pulled out her necklace. "You think this is the reason they died. Well guess what – it was. You think it's your fault? Yeah, well, you didn't know. You really thought they had a chance. You took a gamble – you lost. Well guess what – everything in life's a gamble, including loving someone. Suck it up and get moving."

He released her, letting her collapse to the ground. "Blood means life as well as death. A mother's blood keeps her baby alive. Live for those who've died, and fight for those who yet live." He looked at her, his eyes slowly bleeding back to red-flecked blue. "I really believe our loved ones see us even after they're gone. Do you want them to see this mess? Or do you want them to see the woman they loved and died for."

Tsunade stared at him with her mouth cracked. Shizune had long since stopped struggling against Chouji's kind but firm hand, while Minato watched his cousin with pensive interest. "All it takes is a bit of willpower, you know. You actually have to _want_ to get over it. Stop being a shrinking violet and be the woman you need to be." Naruto bent over to whisper one more thing in the Sannin's ear. "Pretty soon, Konoha's going to need you more than ever. Stop running away from what you know you were chosen to do." He stood up and walked away, tossing a comment over his shoulder. "Tsuki and Ino took Haruko to a mattress. Come tell me what you find out."

The minute he was out of sight, Shizune renewed her efforts, except this time Chouji let her go easily. She dashed over to her mentor, falling to her knees beside her. "Tsunade-sama!"

Tsunade for her part stared at her hands and the dried blood that stained them. _I really believe our loved ones see us even after they're gone. Do you want them to see this mess? I'm not even sure you're Nawaki's sister anymore…_

Her fist clenched tightly. _You think it's your fault? Yeah, well, you didn't know. _His voice echoed in her ears as the memory of Nawaki and Dan played in front of her unseeing eyes. _You took a gamble – you lost. Well guess what – everything in life's a gamble. Suck it up…_

_Suck it up._

_SUCK IT UP!_

She stood suddenly, knocking the surprised Shizune aside as she moved in the direction that Tsuki and Ino had dragged her friend as the sun finally broke across the landscape

…_Konoha's going to need you… Stop running away from what you _know_ you were chosen to do._

Kakashi landed beside Naruto. His student was hunched over, his body weary. Kakashi hadn't seen him this broken since Sasuke took off to the wide-blue-yonder. Was the boy really twenty-one? Suddenly Kakashi felt old – older than he usually felt when surrounded by the young teenagers that made up the majority of their group. It was funny – it seemed like just yesterday he was looking down at a trio of children, wondering how badly they'd fail _this_ time. Had that really been ten years ago? When had he gotten so _old_. Rubbing a hand through his short hair, he sat down beside Naruto.

Naruto glanced at him, glared, and turned away. Kakashi chuckled, reaching up to ruffle his hair the way Minato had so many times in his youth. "Maa, don't be like that. You did the right thing."

"What," Naruto snarled. "By acting like a jerk?"

"By acting how you needed to." Kakashi answered, his hand sliding down to Naruto's shoulder. "By acting like a true Hokage."

--

Four days later, Haruko was up and running again, an astonishing recovery that had the rest of the gang baffled. Tsunade returned to work on the anti-virus, the missing component apparently solved when she was examining her assistant. Only Haruko and Naruto knew the real cause for Sakura's astonishing recovery.

_One Week Before Collapse_

Naruto stood with his hip against the wall of the well and his arms crossed in front of him, his eyes fixed on her face. Sakura, for her part, ignored him in favor of the bucket she was pulling up from the well. She poured the water into the buckets on the ground. Finally she stood up to face him, her eyes meeting his squarely. Planting her fists on her hips, she cocked her head with a _what?_ expression clearly displayed on her heart-shaped face.

"You're sure you'll be okay?" Naruto asked, bending his neck to look her in the face. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry, Naruto. I'll be perfectly okay."

The blond didn't look convinced. He straightened. "Let me just list the side effects again, shall I?" He ticked off the list on his fingers. "Loss of memory, a childlike state, distraction, coughing up blood, potential kidney failure, and seizures." Naruto lifted up his seven fingers, looking at her incredulously. Sakura had the grace to blush.

"I know it sounds bad, but Grand Mal seizures aren't usually very deadly, and it takes at _least_ two weeks under the influence for the symptoms to become permanent."

Naruto blinked several times before her words sank in. "_Permanent!" _Sakura clamped a hand over his mouth, giving a harsh, "_Shh!" _Naruto continued anyway, speaking through her fingers. "Youdidn'tsay_ anything _about_ permanent!_" He backtracked. "_Usually_ dangerous! What do you mean _usually_ dangerous?"

"I said they _aren't _usually dangerous." Haruko corrected sheepishly.

"Are you kidding me?" Naruto gapped at her. "If you'd told me about this before I agreed to your stupid plan—"

Sakura cut in. "You would have stopped me from doing it." Naruto's face tightened. Sakura backpedaled, knowing she was rapidly losing what little support she had. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. It was wrong to deceive you. But it's too late now – I've already taken the first dose."

Naruto pushed himself in her face. "What happens if I can't convince Tsunade to treat you, huh? What if she freezes? What if Ino and Hinata can't figure out how to cure it?" He spun away, a hand tangled in his hair. "Dit Sakura! This is why you shouldn't keep all your homemade poisons and antidotes in your head!"

She rolled her eyes. "Tch. You're one to talk. Look, Tsunade's the greatest medic to ever exist. If anyone can figure out the poison, it's her." Naruto glared at her.

"Oh yeah? What happens when she gets stumped because she thinks she's treating Taigyou? Huh? What then?"

Sakura huffed. "You worry too much! It doesn't even _look_ like Taigyou."

"Too _you_, maybe!" Naruto huffed. His eyes widened. "You said it interferes with your thinking process, right? Well what if you're treating someone and you make a mistake?"

Sakura grimaced. She hadn't thought of that. "Look, it's too late now. And Tsunade will catch any mistakes I make. She's nothing if not a stickler for perfection." When Naruto continued to look sick, she relented. "I guess I could mix up the antidote now." When Naruto brightened, she poked him in the chest. "But it's just in case! Only give it to me if she still hasn't solved it after four days. This is our one chance with Tsunade. We can't blow it because you've launched yourself into mother-hen-mode." She glared at Naruto. "Don't screw it up."

Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Okay, sure! Yeah, I can do that!"

Sakura sighed again before she could catch herself. _Maybe I should include Sai in this…_ She briefly pictured the likely scenario of Sai slapping Tsunade around when she refused to help his teammate and winced. _On second thought, I don't think so. _

--

_Post Collapse, Day 2_

Tsunade was bent over Sakura, beads of sweet rolling down her face. Naruto sat hidden from her senses, his eyes fixed on his friend. A tanned hand fiddled with the vial in his pouch. The clear glass container filled with blue liquid felt like it was burning a hole in his pocket. As Sakura's body jerked again, erupting into another series of convulsions, his fist clenched. _Just in case…_

Tsunade took another blood sample, only flinching slightly at the sight of the crimson blood that filled the vial in her hand. Her hand lit up, the blood in the vial glowing as the liquid separated into different layers. Naruto clenched his fist, hoping that the sorting technique would show Tsunade what was wrong. She only had two more days to work her magic. When Tsunade tensed, bringing the tube closer to her eyes, Naruto leaned forward, straining his eyes to see what had caught her attention.

As the medic-nin drew out another needle, Naruto turned and walked away. _Don't screw it up._

He waited until he was out of hearing distance before he slammed his hand into a wall, not caring about the pain that arched through his broken bones and up his arm. _I'm trying, Sakura-chan._

--

_Post Collapse, Day 3_

Tsunade mixed in the last of the herbs, leaning back with a sigh of relief. She'd isolated the foreign chemical in Haruko's blood. Now all that remained was to administer the cure. Tsunade couldn't resist glaring at the girl. _As if we don't have enough on our plate – she has to go and nearly get _herself_ killed too._ She stirred the medicine, nodding in satisfaction at its density. Turning off the fire, she let it cool. She couldn't risk having the girl drink it – with her increasingly volatile seizures it was very possible she'd choke on it.

And she didn't really want to inject it in her arm, having drawn too much blood from the same veins and vessels the last two days. That left one more option. It had to be absorbed through the skin. Smiling in victory, she spread the warm paste on Sakura's skin – she smeared it behind her ears and on the palms of her hands, where the skin was thin - before covering it with a cloth. If it stopped her seizures enough, she'd administer it by mouth.

Tsunade was so exhausted over her three day medical bender on top of the weeks she'd had, she didn't even notice the shadow detaching itself from the wall. Naruto walked away, wiping the sweat off his brow before it dripped into his eyes. _Finally…_

--

By day four Haruko had regained consciousness. She was up on her feet by day five and had returned to her duties by the end of the week. Naruto was relieved to see that there was no apparent damage except an absentminded daze that he gratefully wrote off as stress after a conversation with Tsunade.

While Tsunade and Naruto continued on as usual – i.e. irritating and ignoring each other in turn – except for a small hint of gratefulness on Tsunade's part, Shizune avoided Naruto as if he were a carrier of the plague. Or rather, since she would have had to heal him if he had the plague, as if he were the plague itself. Whenever she was forced to cross paths with him, she made a point of either glaring or looking away. She even crossed the street once or twice so as to not walk on the same side as him.

Naruto didn't seem to be insulted or sad about this. Actually, he seemed amused. Even proud, though everyone was sure it was their imagination. In reality, Naruto was just pleased that Shizune was already so loyal to her mistress. He knew she'd come around eventually.

As far as the partners in crime knew, no one suspected that Sakura's disease was planned, and they wanted to keep it like that. Sakura was sure Kakashi suspected, but he never confronted them about it. Naruto, however, was cornered by a worried Kiba who had detected a not-sick scent on Sakura that smelled like bitterness and death. At least, that's how _he _described it. Naruto quickly put his fears to rest, saying that it was probably the medicine she had been working with. Maybe some had spilled on her when she fell.

Kiba accepted this theory with dubious belief, but fortunately let it drop.

The united efforts of Sakura and Tsunade quickly produced an antidote capable of combating the evolved disease. The plague was soon routed and the villagers began to clean up their village. Shinsei was quite relieved at not having to wash anything else, and the 'grown ups' had decided that the kids needed a day off. So they shooed them away to spend some time away from the 'village' kids and their chores. The last Naruto had seen them they'd been down by the river trying to dunk Shizune and Rin in the water.

They'd pretty much finished packing their things – what was left of them, and – the second wagon having been chopped up for firewood – they were only waiting for Tsunade and Sakura to finish giving instructions to the villagers. Minato sprang up on the headboard of the wagon. "In never ceases to amaze me how that dog can pull this old cart along."

Kiba puffed up in pride. "Oh, Akamaru can do a lot more that that! He's got bones stronger than steel. He's smarter than most humans, and he's got his nose to guide him!" Kiba knelt down to play with Akamaru, playfully shaking the dog's head. Akamaru huffed, putting a large paw around Kiba's arm. The mouse-haired man laughed, ruffling the white fur on the dog's neck. Minato smiled before turning to watch the children.

It was nice to see them actually acting like _children_ for a change. He met Naruto's amused gaze as his cousin made his way to the gate.

Shika walked up to the wagon. "Oi, Kiba. We're ready to go. Naoki's going to open the gate any minute now."

Kiba nodded, and released Akamaru, who whined sadly. "Aw, too bad Aka. Looks like we're going to have to put off play time for a bit." Hopping up beside Minato, he let out a "Onwards and forwards!" while striking a dramatic pose. Akamaru howled in glee and charged towards the gate.

"What about the kids?" Minato called.

"Chouji's calling them." Was the lazy reply.

They approached the opening in the wall to see Naruto pounded on the door, yelling "We're coming out now! Hold your fire!" Slowly and haltingly, as if the guards were opening it an inch at a time to be sure none of the sick would come out, the crack between the wooden doors widened until it was wide enough for Kiba to guide the wagon through. They cheerfully burst out of the village, quite happy to be on their way.

None of them expected what they found on the other side.

--

TBC…

Oohh! Cliffhanger!

Sorry, I couldn't resist!

Well, in this chapter we see the end of the Plauge Arch, Tsunade gets what's comming to her, Sakura proves she can scheme with the best of them, and Shinsei defends his 'mommy's' honor.

Feel free to tell me what you thought: was the Scene with Naruto and Minato too sappy? Should Shinsei have gotten off so lightly? Yada, yada... I'd love to hear your opinions!

Till next time!


	14. Rising Tension

_Hey Everyone!_

_First off - I am soo sorry it took so long to update. First I got Carpal Tunnel, then school took up most of my day - the problem with Homeschool is there isn't a 'quit' time. I also got MASSIVE writers block in the fight scene, because while I knew where I wanted to go, I didn't know how to get there. Ugh._

_But anyway - you can thank Eleature for getting this chapter to you so soon. She's a really fast Beta. If there are any more mistakes - which I doubt, she'd really thourough - then my second Beta will get them._

_Feel free to offer constructive criticism about anything though._

_Oh, one more thing - just to point out, I write the characters the way I think they would think, but that doesn't necessarily mean I agree with them._

--

Chapter 14

* * *

The first indication Ino had that something was wrong was when she caught sight of the Captain's face. She was on rear guard duty – not that they called it that anymore - with Chouji. Her eyes fell on the man even as she tilted her head back to laugh. Her eyes narrowed as she tipped her head, laughing as she registered Chouji's joke in the back of her mind. Her first thought was, _he's too smug_. The man watched them behind narrowed eyes. His smile was turned up slightly at the corners, and Ino found herself cataloguing the way his nose crinkled and how he held himself. _Self satisfied_.

Ino's head spun as she rapidly forced rusty skills into use. _How many guards are there?_ Blue eyes flitted around frantically. Where _are they positioned?_ Her eyes widened. _Kuso. We're surrounded._ Desperate, she concentrated on individual faces. _Confidence, excitement, anticipation... Anger… no, hate. Deep seated hate. But why? Unless…_

She dragged up the memory of something Shinsei said.

"_I'm surprised you're__ calling Konoha-nin to Iwa,"_ The boy had commented. _"Takani's right in inside the border after all. They don't publicize it, but they're firmly on Iwa's side."_

At the time, she'd registered the comment as odd and interesting, but not potentially dangerous. Now, looking at the burning eyes around them, Ino kicked herself. _Idiot! You trained seven years to fall for a rookie mistake like that?_ If Chouji had noticed her increased agitation, he didn't let on. Ino didn't fault him. Bless his heart, Chouji was one of the kindest and heartfelt of ninja, but he couldn't pick up on body language to save his life, and she meant that literally.

Naruto was at point, as he always was. He was too far away to warn, at least without warning the other ninja that she'd caught onto their game. Chouji wouldn't be able to do anything other than know what was going on and counterattack when their enemies sprang the trap. Shikamaru was to the left, seven paces up. Her eyes flitted around subtly, taking in positions. She couldn't risk possessing one of the active ninja. Her bloodline was too prominent in Konoha after all. They'd recognize the signs. However, none of her people were in a good position to be possessed either.

She hissed. If only she could jump to a man in the crowd, and then jump to someone else… Blue eyes locked on a man staring at the sky absently. _Perfect. If I time it right, he won't even know what hit him--_

She'd waited too long.

Iwa shinobi sprang from the ground, trapping Team Minato. Rock melded itself to their legs and arms, and Ino didn't need Neji's eyes to know that it was draining their chakra at an alarming rate. The soldiers around them drew their weapons, leering at the captured Shinobi. Ino sucked in her breath through her teeth. She felt a knife point rest against her throat and she resisted the urge to bat it away. She snarled in alarm as they snapped chains on her wrists. _They aren't acting normal. This isn't the typical treatment of captured civilians!_

She met Sakura's eyes, seeing the barely contained panic in her friend's green orbs. _Oh… shoot._

"What is this?" Naruto roared even as they forced a hood over his head. The guards seemed to be paying him extra attention, and Ino winced. He looked so much like Minato-san that they must have been confused about which one was the real jounin. Before a hood was placed over her own head, she saw Hinata push Shinsei under the wagon. The boy looked pained, but he followed his Tsuki-hime's orders without more than a worried frown.

Then the hood was placed over her head and she had to rely on her ears. Naruto was shouting obscenities at the guards, and Ino's wince wasn't entirely caused by the toe she stubbed when her guard pulled her forwards roughly.

They walked for what seemed like hours, stumbling and tripping over loose pebbles and branches, sometimes not so much _tripping_ as being _tripped_. Between picking herself up from the ground and trying to sense her guards' intentions by the aura of their chakra, Ino strained her ears to collect any and all information available. She knew that most of them were special jounin. The leaders were all jounin at least. One or two chuunin, but even so, they were high up in the ranks.

Inside the dirty brown sack – that smelled a lot like a tuna sandwich – Ino grimaced. They had certainly pulled out all the stops. _Not that that's surprising_, She mused. She'd taken a glance at a bingo book while in Iwa – Namikaze was a high prize, feared in Iwa more than anyone else, except for _maybe_ – maybe - the Sannin. And that was if they were together.

So it wasn't surprising that the guards were constantly reminding each other to watch him.

She stumbled again, and huffed in exasperation. Sweat was trickling down her face. Her hair – her clean, freshly washed – shampooed – hair – was stuck to her skin. The sack was stifling. It was hot, smoggy, and she struggled for each gasping breath. The sun – which had been rising steadily with increasing intensity as they marched on – beat down on her as they walk out of the shade of the trees. Suddenly they came to a halt.

Ino was propelled forwards and onto her knees. She felt her chains staked to the ground and bit back a groan. _Great._ Then she brightened as her hood was lifted off.

She didn't waste time looking around. Hinata was kneeling beside her, her face flushed and wet. Long black hair – once twisted up and pinned too her head in an elegant and gravity defying style – lay against her back in tangled strips. Her mouth was firm with vivacious triumph, and she exposed her neck proudly. She looked every bit the clan heiress, and – despite her dishevelled hair, sweaty face and dirty clothing – would have looked no more out of place than if she'd been sitting at a formal tea party in ceremonial robes after spending hours in front of a mirror.

Kiba was on her other side, and Ino exchanged a glance with him as the rest of their group was unmasked. She tilted her head to Hinata and lifted her eyebrow, mouthing Shinsei's name. Kiba flashed a wink and a triumphant grin. Ino felt herself relax. _Thank you, whatever-powers-that-be, he got away._

Ino caught Sakura's eye, smirking at her when her friend's shorter hair stuck up in all sorts of odd angles. Sakura glared back at her, before shooting a concerned glance at Hinata. When both Kiba and Ino nodded, Sakura sighed in relief. Amused, Ino wondered how many times they were going to have to assure their group that Shinsei was safe and hopefully a couple hundred miles away. She glanced at the woman at her side and resigned herself to giving up her delusions.

Shinsei would never abandon Hinata.

Chouji was forced down in front of her, his attention turned to her. Ino leaned forward, resting her forehead on his back, ignoring the yucky sweatiness for now. Chouji breathed out a tremulous breath of relief whilst Ino grinned in triumph. _Mission accomplished._

Chouji was by far the "softest" of the ninja, if any of them could be called soft. It didn't mean that he didn't have a core of iron though, or the stubborn will-power it took to survive on the battlefield. It was just that he never took capture well. Ino knew from way-to-much experience he wouldn't relax until this whole episode was days behind them.

_At least they didn't separate us_. Ino thought with a hint of a malicious smile. _For that I think I'll kill them quickly._

Chouji was always nervous when they were in a crisis, but he would have broken if they'd been separated. Not because he'd be worried about himself, but rather because he'd be running through a hundred and three scenarios about what they could be doing to Shikamaru and her. He had a common face and body, but his heart was of pure gold.

But her concern for Chouji was pushed aside when Naruto's face was uncovered. Even _Sai_ drew back when they saw his face, and Ino quickly worked on channelling chakra to her ears to deafen herself. She had no desire to lose her hearing, thank you very much. Plus, she couldn't afford to be distracted. She had to find a way out of this situation!

…Preferably, before Naruto lost what little grasp he still held on his temper.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Naruto roared, lunging at the head guy. The chains held him back, but only just barely. The man in front of him had the familiar, pompous look that commanders of dictatorships held. That, and the way the civil soldiers avoided him was a good clue of what he was. The man leered down at the blond.

"We are taking the enemy to Oranado Prison." The man raised an eyebrow in smug condescension. "Obviously."

Naruto glared back. "Obviously." He mimicked. Naruto raised his voice. "These shinobi helped us in securing the welfare of that village! If it weren't for them, the entire town would have been annihilated! Surely that must mean _something_ to you!"

"Do you hear that, men?" The Commander guffawed, slapping his knee. "It should _mean_ something to us that the village was saved!" The shinobi around them laughed, their loud guffaws ringing in Naruto's ears. Smiling, the man bent down to lower his face to Naruto's level. "We wouldn't have _cared_ if the village was wiped out. We were actually hoping it would be! Who do you think planted the poison in their well – Konoha?" The man scoffed. "Bah! Those peace-loving fools wouldn't hurt a dog even if it bit them."

Naruto's glare intensified as the man continued to explain Iwa's twisted actions with glee. He twisted his wrists in his shackles, hardly noticing the burn of the metal as it dug into his arm, rubbing against already irritated skin. "You see, we managed to get a hold of a sample of a new poison that was only recently developed in Suna." He smirked, "Our scientists modified it, but of course we had to test it out. Lo and behold, this village kindly volunteered itself after being unable to produce suitable crops for the winter harvest! We didn't expect such effective results, and we certainly didn't anticipate catching Konoha's Yellow Flash and the Slug Princess in our web." He turned away, looking into the crowd around them, "Really, I have to thank you, Yuri-san."

Naruto's eyes widened. He met Sakura's eyes through the throng of soldiers before he turned to see the traitor – or rather, the loyal servant of Iwa – step out of the crowd, simpering and plastering himself against the captain.

Sai hissed angrily from beside Naruto, swearing fervently under his breath.

The leader's smile widened as he turned to Naruto. "I understand we have your Caravan to thank for that. If you hadn't been so... harsh... he might have even strayed from our tender loving arms."

Yuri stood beside the Ninja, his smug smile inticing Ino to murderous violence.

With a hauty grin, the slimy man knelt down in front of Naruto. "Not so proud now, are ya!" He crowed. Taking off his sandle, Yuri smacked Naruto across the face. "Eh! Not so tough, huh! You're not in your puny kingdom anymore, boyo!" Yuri smirked. "Iwa has power here."

Sai turned his head to look at the puny man. "So you're the type of man who only feels strong when hiding behind his mothers skirts then?" Sai scoffed. "Pathetic coward."

Yuri reddened. "What did you say?"

"You heard me." Sai replied. He paused. "Of course, there's always the off chance that God decided to give you deafness to match your stupidity."

Yuri hissed, eyes narrowing down on the dark haired boy. The villager's muscles were bunched up tight under his swarmy skin. The ugly twist of his mouth made his flat face even more hideous, the hate glittering is weak eyes impressive. With a single bound, Yuri was flying through the air, his hand lashing out to land in Sai's gut. The air came out of the Painter's lungs in a single _whoosh_ as Sai doubled over.

Yuri was on his feet, spitting, hissing and cursing, his foot lashing out at Sai. Ino didn't raise her voice in protest, knowing it would be futile, or even spur the maniac on. Kiba, however, had no such coniptions, and began shouting out insults and names. Naruto was pulling against his chains until his wrists were raw and bleeding. Finally, the amused Iwa captain reached over to grab his new 'subordinant.'

"That's enough, Yuri." He chuckled. "I'm sure the worm's learned his lesson." With a satisfied smile, the Iwa captain glanced at Naruto, who's fiery eyes betrayed his otherwise now-stoic face.

"What are you going to do with us?" Naruto asked, his voice even.

The Commander raised an eyebrow. "Obviously we can't let you go. You know too much!" His face darkened, "In addition you've developed a cure!" He shrugged, "As a result, I'm afraid I shall have to terminate all of you …except the Konoha shinobi of course. Their execution will be a much more …public affair."

Here he walked over to the Konoha-nin, dark eyes flashing as he looked down on Minato's chained form. Minato in return knelt proudly as he spoke out derisively, "So this is how you feel strong Yakamoto? Preying on the weak and untrained? I suppose for someone as weak and pathetic as you, you'd have to."

Yakamoto snarled, his foot lashing out to strike Minato in the side. The jounin-sensei let out a breath of air, curling in to protect himself. Yakamoto continued to rain down a hail of fists and kicks. Rin let out a cry of protest that was quickly cut off when one of the guards gave her similar treatment. Watching them, Naruto felt anger build up inside of him. The chains around his father's wrists absorbed chakra and their gear was stashed with the guards. In addition the chains were too thick to break with force – in short – Konoha's Yellow Flash was truly trapped.

"What's your name?" Naruto called out through gritted teeth, interrupting the barrage of abuse.

"What?" The man turned, bemused.

"Your name?" Naruto repeated.

Sai's head shot up, struggling to see past swollen eyes.

Yakamoto stared at Naruto, "I don't see why that should interest you. You'll be dead in a minute."

Naruto smiled and closed his eyes. "It's only polite to get the name of the person whom you're going to kill."

The Commander sniffed, "Well, I don't want to know your name."

Naruto's eyes snapped open, their pupils crimson as they hadn't been since he'd left the ruin of Konoha behind. His teeth were elongated, his nostrils flared. "That's 'cause _I'm_ not the one who's going to die." Yakamoto's eyes widened and he stumbled back. Red chakra poured out of Naruto, covering him like an old familiar cloak. With a feral yowl, he channelled the chakra into his arms. With a fierce crack the chains on his wrists snapped.

_They made a mistake to assume we were civilians._

Grinning darkly, he surged to his feet, already spinning 360 degrees, his arms positioned as if he were spinning to throw something. The red chakra flung out from him as he spun; a gigantic wave of killing intent and fire.

It hurled the soldiers off their feet, cutting through them like a hot knife through butter. As if they'd all been waiting for an invisible sign which had just been given, all the caravan members sprang to their feet, finding means to get out of their chains. Sakura burst out, while Ino simply slumped over, having marked her target a long time ago. They quickly helped those like Shikamaru and Kiba who either didn't have a skill to use to free themselves, or who had been divested of their lock picks.

Naruto wasted no time descending upon Yuri.

Yuri stared at the monster in front of him with murder in red eyes, and soiled himself. Naruto laughed darkly. "Your such a coward. A dog not worth the scraps you beg from a pauper. Now - die like the worthless trash you are!"

The blond launched himself forward, not feeling a hint of remorse when he ended the civilian's life.

As Minato's team and Tsunade and Shizune watched, the Caravan proceeded to decimate the surrounding enemy. Rin let out a scream and Kakashi turned to see one of their guards drawing her blade, clearly determined to kill the remaining captives before they could be rescued. Her sword was quickly coming down on Rin's unguarded, unprotected, and undefended neck. Kakashi strained against his chains, letting out a frustrated yell when they didn't budge.

"_Rin!!"_

Something crashed into the Iwa-nin. The dust settled to reveal Shinsei straddling her, forcing the blade down across her throat. The woman's eyes widened, her strength sapped by surprise. _"You…"_

"Yes, me." With that, Shinsei ruthlessly killed her. He sat for a moment, her blood staining his hands. He'd recognized her, and she'd clearly recognized him. She'd been one of his teachers. Before he'd surpassed her and been passed on to a jounin-sensei. Hearing Rin draw a gasping breath, he shook himself, and stood up, pulling a universal lock pick. He turned back to his friends "Don't panic, Rin. I'll have you out in a minute."

* * *

Sai was annoyed.

Or maybe this was considered fury - he didn't know.

He lunged, grabbed the man's sword and spun around, cutting arms and legs as he went. He stabbed the blade into its master, and watched dispassionately as the man slumped down. While one-on-one duels could go on for minutes, or even hours depending on how equal the fighter's skills were, in a battle like this the skirmishes were usually resolved in four moves or less. Any more and you risked being cut down from behind.

Turning away, Sai dropped the sword with distain. Any weapon that would turn against its master wasn't worth jack. Or, he contemplated, any master that wasn't worth its weapon, deserved his fate.

Sai left the sword laying its master's blood.

The sting of the humiliation Yuri had subjected him to had all but faded when Sakura had taken a moment to heal his eye, but the rage that had sparked the taunts in the first place still blazed.

_How dare that miserable worm touch him. _

He marched forward, drawing another weapon from a corpse. This kunai, at least, had still been in the hand.

Sai made quick work of some of the few chuunin that had been along with the ride – they proved their skill though, giving him a gash on the arm, and he would have to have Sakura take a look at his side before he bled out.

The wound wouldn't incapacitate him, and Sai didn't think he was a shock risk. He'd worry about infection later. A shuriken flew in front of him, skimming his nose before imbedding into the eye of one of the other Iwa-nin. The man began screaming, the wound apparently not deep enough to put him out of his misery. Sai kicked forward, driving it into the man's skull and ending his agony.

The miserable creature had dared to strike at Sai's Hokage - at Sai's savior. And as a loyal shinobi of Konohagakure, and an even more loyal subordinant to Naruto, he couldn't let that monstrosity hurt his Kage.

_Teammate. Friend. Brother._

Turning, he made quick work of the other Iwa.

_This was his revenge._

A hint of suspicious movement was caught from his peripheral vision. Turning slightly, Sai saw Shikamaru sneaking under a wagon. Sai actually did a double-take, before rolling his eyes and thinking that even _Shikamaru_ wouldn't abandon a battle on a whim. Even if he thought the battle was too _troublesome_, he wouldn't leave Chouji without backup.

Sai nodded in satisfaction when the shadows under the wagon began to writhe and lash out at the enemy. When the Iwa-nin were suitably distracted, Chouji snuck by and lead the Konoha nin away. They were drained of their chakra, so they were be liabilities rather than a help. Rolling his eyes at Shikamaru's laziness – the boy was laying down on the job – Sai continued on his way.

As he used yet another foreign kunai, he couldn't help thinking, _"My kingdom for pen and paper!"_

* * *

Naruto whipped the blood away from his face before it could slide into his eyes, sting and blind him. He hissed as his movements aggravated a newly acquired slash across his shoulders and back. Kyuubi hadn't managed to cure it yet, and Naruto found himself paying the price. The ground rumbled under one of Sakura's punches, and he used the opportunity to get one up on his opponent. The jounin in front of him proved to be a tough critter. The four slash rule did, occasionally, have an exception.

Naruto grinned wildly.

_I've missed this._

The ringing of blades whistling though the air, the bitter tang of blood in his nose and the cries of the dying paled in comparison to the adrenaline rushing though his ears, the fire heating up his veins. His hands were slippery with blood, his tongue bitter with its taste.

He tore through the man, pausing only briefly to memorize his face. In a battle like this, where there was frenzy, multiple attacks, and no hint of courtesy and honour, there wasn't any time to ask names, give speeches of assured victory. There was no time to make brief impression on your opponent, so that on the off chance you might be the loser, the dead, the defeated, he might remember you …That you might be one of the thousand faces that haunted him when he closed his eyes.

Naruto didn't know where that unspoken tradition, unknown rule had been formed, but he regretted its absence right now. He held no illusions of remembering every person he killed, but it always added a little humanity to battles, even if it were torn away brutally and more painfully when you killed your opponent. But the discussions, quips, and insults exchanged over opposite sides of the kunai were part of what made battle so _fun_. And if this was going to be his last battle for a while, he might as well enjoy it!

Not that this wasn't fun.

Oh, he knew that when it ended - when he was standing alone on the field, the survivors around him, the dead and dying crying out - it would be yet another dark mark on his memory. But that was after. Now – with war-lust crying out from inside of him and Kyuubi rejoicing in the violence that abounded, he couldn't care less.

The roaring in his ears was pierced by shouting.

He recognized that voice, despite only having heard it for the first time today. His body froze, even as his head turned sharply to the left. Red eyes caught sight of the commanding jounin as he shouted and railed at his troops. His face was burned, his clothes blood stained. Naruto growled deep in his throat, feeling anger build up in him again. _I thought I killed that teme._

Naruto walked towards the man, his aura so deadly that the enemy now avoided him, consciously or not. He noticed Kakashi glancing at him, before turning and following behind him, in case any impetuous Iwa crony got an idea to strike Naruto down while he was single-mindedly focused on the commander.

"_You!"_ Naruto shouted, launching himself at the jounin. The man gasped in shock as Naruto crashed into him. Before he could even react, the jinchuuriki was pounding away, his arms working like pistons as his bloodstained hands crashed again and again into his face. The Iwa-nin growled, planting his feet on Naruto's abdomen and _thrusting_. Naruto sailed head over heels to land on his back. He wasn't down long. He flipped in a handstand, crashing his heels into the other mans stomach when he rose.

The commander, or Iwa-teme as Naruto now thought of him, wasn't put off. Instead he wrapped his arms around Naruto's ankles, trapping him while Iwa-teme was able to aim some pointed kicks at him. Naruto struggled, wriggling franticly until he could get a foot free. He lashed out, striking Iwa-teme in the jaw. The jawbone gave way with a satisfying crack, but the Iwa-nin still didn't let go of his advantage. Naruto grimaced and made an underhanded move that had never really been condoned unless you were a girl – and a civilian at that. He aimed for between the legs.

Iwa-teme paled before turning a lovely shade of puce. Naruto smiled in satisfaction.

"Cheap shot," the jounin squeaked, hands positioned protectively.

Naruto nodded in acknowledgement. "But one _completely_ deserved." He kicked up a kunai and spun it around his finger before wrapping a hand around it tightly. He charged towards to jounin. But Iwa-teme clearly was no slouch in the fighting department. He snapped backward, the blade whistling over his face. He caught Naruto's arm – which he had overextended in his lunge – and pulled, jerking the boy off balance. Naruto gave a startled "Oi!" as he found himself flying to a mouthful of dirt. Iwa-teme stumbled to his feet, his knees bent awkwardly towards themselves. Naruto smirked up at him in satisfaction, even as he spat out leaves. "You can't beat me." The jounin said assuredly.

Naruto – finally frustrated – snapped out, "Screw this!" His fingers formed into a long unused seal like a man greeting his long lost friend. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Within seconds, hundreds of blond men in earthy green and brown in an orange coat were springing up around the grounds. Iwa-teme's jaw dropping was the last thing the original Naruto saw before Iwa-teme was covered by clones.

Smirking in satisfaction, Naruto spun towards the rest of the battle field. "I know this has probably been guessed already," He shouted out, his voice echoing across the field. "But we _really_ can't leave any survivors."

* * *

It was several hours later that Naruto glared down at the corpses before pinning a note on the wagon.

_Iwa can consider its contract with the Caravan te__rminated on charges of sabotage and intent of harm to her persons. On the off chance Iwagakure should apologize and refund us for damaged supplies and medical care, we will reinstate our contract. Until such a time, Iwa has been blacklisted, and the Caravan's relations with Iwagakure are terminated._

"Are you sure that's smart?" Sakura asked from behind him. She was sitting on the ground, too exhausted and spent to stand. After the battle she'd spent almost all her remaining chakra keeping Kiba from chocking on his own blood, a jutsu having ripped open his chest through his lung. The rest had been depleted when she kept Sai from going into shock. Ino had to take care of herself and Kakashi without assistance, as Hinata had gained a concussion and couldn't be allowed to mould chakra.

As it was she had several severe burns from when she'd tried only for it to blow up in her face. Ino had worked long and hard under Sakura's supervision to make sure Hinata didn't become _truly_ blind. Remembering Neji's barely contained panic as he hovered over his mistress, silently begging Ino not to make a mistake, had Naruto clenching his jaw.

Kiba was on a respirator of oxygen even now, laying out on a cot with Hinata – her eyes bound with bloody bandages – leaning over him, her long fingers brushing through tangled brown hair. Naruto's eyes hardened.

With a resolute thrust he forced the final pin into the paper. "I don't care if it's smart or not. They can declare a war on us, and I still won't care. _Kiba was nearly killed._"

Sakura sighed, pushing herself slowly to her feet. "You're the leader, not me." She stopped. "But Naruto… don't do something foolish because you're angry. If we're going to help these people, we need access to Iwa."

Naruto scowled at her as she limped away, weaving slightly from exhaustion. Sai blurred to her side. "Sakura-san." With a sigh of relief, she placed her arm around her teammate's shoulders, allowing him to help her over to the rest of the group… "You shouldn't be walking, you old hag!"

"Don't call me that!" Sakura yelled, the weariness in her voice removing any intimidation. "Once I get my strength up, I'm gonna pound you into a bloody pulp!"

"Yes, yes." Sai replied, lowering her to the ground.

"I will!"

Sai nodded condescendingly. "Of course you will."

"I mean it, doggone it!"

Naruto watched his team-mates, a bemused expression decorating his face. Finally he turned back to the paper in his hand. Sakura was right – as much as this paper would give him the satisfaction of having one up on his enemy, it would cause more trouble then it solved. The Kage in Iwa was too proud to give an apology, and his ire would be spiked by their defiance. Naruto was even willing to bet he'd send assassins after them to purge his honour.

The resulting trouble would hamper their welcome in other countries that wanted to stay in Iwa's good graces, which would eventually hinder their movements greatly. Not only that, if any of the ninja sent after them were S-rank, some of the weaker members of the caravan – if he dared think of them that way – might get hurt. Even killed!

And Naruto would have been the cause because of his pride. That wasn't something a Hokage was supposed to do.

With a resigned glare, he incinerated the letter, the ash floating away from his fingers. With a final sigh, he dropped the burning paper to the ground.

"Great. One declaration down, another one to go." He looked up, his arms folded behind his head. "How exactly are we going to explain this to Minato and Tsunade-baba?"

* * *

Sai watched Naruto burn the letter stoically. "He's following your advice."

"Of course he's following my advice," Sakura shot back, rubbing her calf to keep it from cramping. "He's not stupid."

"That is debatable."

Sakura frowned at him. Sai raised his eyebrows in a silent _'what?'_. Sakura rolled her eyes. "You're such an idiot."

"Ha – says the woman who tried to paint her—"

"—We agreed never to speak about that again and that doesn't—"

"Of course it counts!" Sai grinned. "I have paintings to prove that—"

Sakura snarled. "If you value your life you'd better not have—"

"Oh but I do!" Sai smirked. His eyes hardened. "Honestly, if you'd listen to your teammates more you wouldn't have such problems with guys!"

She snorted. "Yeah, well my teammates standards are so high that I wouldn't go on dates at all!"

Sai looked at her. Sakura looked back. She twitched. "You're kidding." When he didn't say anything she groaned in exasperation. "Sai! You guys are impossible."

Her teammate smiled. "Don't get the wrong idea. It was to protect them as much as you – who'd say no to a woman who can kill them with her pinkie, even if she is a wrinkly old hag?"

"_Sai!"_

Sai turned away, a breath of laughter carefully hidden from Sakura. _She's so easy to tease,_ he mused, tuning out Sakura's loud ranting. Eventually, even that got monotonous – Sakura-bating, while a perilous sport when she was at a hundred percent, was rather boring when she couldn't fight back.

He ran over their conversation in his head, pondering for a second. "Sakura, may I ask you something?"

She turned to look at him. "Uh-oh."

"…" He looked at her quizzically.

"It's never a good sign when _Sai_ has to ask before asking something." Sakura smiled, pretending to think. "Dare I risk it?" Finally she nodded. "Go ahead. If I don't want to answer, I won't."

Sai nodded. "If you knew that thirteen years from now, Sasuke would still betray the genin team, and would still leave Konoha to seek power, would you still let your counterpart and Naruto join his team, knowing all the pain it would cause?"

Sakura stared at him, face pale.

She didn't answer.

* * *

Chouji swallowed another gulp of water fretfully. _What's keeping them! I don't know how much longer I can stall these guys._

The Konoha shinobi were staring him down, small levels of killing intent showing clearly. Shinsei paced a little ways away, his nervous whistling grinding across Chouji already frayed nerves. _C'mon Naruto. At least send someone as Backup!_

Chouji was a jounin – not the greatest, not the worst, but he could hold to his own better than most. His firm stature – yes, firm, not fat, thank you – made it easy for him to bounce back from whatever the enemy threw at him. And while he didn't like it, he could kill, had killed, and would again if need be. Ten years of being on a team with Ino and Shikamaru had taught him the delicate lines of diplomacy – how to smooth out one person's upset feelings without waking the other person's ire. His experience had later garnered him a seat on the Diplomacy Committee, or the DipCo. When he wasn't backing up his team-mates, Chouji had delegated several treaties and learned to stare down tough opponents, his kind and gentle manner making him well liked and eventually respected (in a society of warriors and assassins, kindness was often a synonym for weakness) after people learned that he wasn't _quite_ as easy to sway as they first thought. Unless they were Ino, of course.

His specialty was smoothing out the rough edges, and when need be, stalling.

That was part of the reason he'd been the one to lead the shinobi away. A hand sign from Naruto had tasked him with keeping them here out of seeing, hearing, and sensing range, and hopefully also delaying their questions. The only problem was…

He hadn't expected Minato to be so…

Well…

Intimidating.

Kakashi – three years ago when they'd been plotting out this whole delicate process – had confided to them a little known secret about the Yondaime. He'd sucked at politics. As in royally screwed up every manoeuvre he'd ever tried until the year he became Hokage. Even then, until six months into his term, the Council of Elders had been ready to revolt. Ino's own careful observations of the older blond had only confirmed this.

Minato was a genius on the battlefield, with a strategic mind that rivalled Shikamaru, and a keen understanding of the effects of war, but he was a political nincompoop.

Minato was abrupt, miserable at hiding his true feelings, and impatient. He hid none of his dislike of the Council of Idiots (as Naruto and Sai called them), and his moves as a Clan Head often stepped on toes and bruised egos. His heart was in the right place, and he _did_ have the required charisma to have a successful career, but he was still dense and idealistic. The choices that the Caravan had managed to witness were influenced a lot by his heart, even though Kakashi often said that the Yondaime had been rather ruthless when in office. All of this combined made him easy to manipulate.

Rather like Naruto in the beginning, actually.

The contrast had perplexed them, causing them to wonder what caused the change. What had taken a proverbial weak link and changed it into a chord of steel?

Kakashi hadn't known. At the time he'd been a little preoccupied with getting over Obito's death and Minato's budding relationship with his girlfriend – he refused to say who – and keeping Rin from committing herself to suicidal missions. He'd also just joined ANBU, and was feeling the weight of _that_ whole mess on top of everything. Kakashi had later wondered if Minato's change in outlook had been a direct result of loosing Obito. At the time, they'd already saved the Uchiha, so they couldn't go back, but the old man had gotten yelled at for several hours by Ino and Sakura about things like that being _important _to mention before they accidentally doomed Konoha to a premature death with their do-gooding.

Eventually they'd concluded that it must have happened when Minato had gained the burden of being Hokage, and left it at that. It didn't matter much, and didn't change their plans anyway.

Well, now, faced down with an icy stare that made Chouji tremble, he wished they'd reconsidered. Somehow in the four months since they'd last seen him, Minato's spine had been replaced with a titanium rod. He wasn't put off by Chouji's carefully constructed non-answers, and his voice rang with quiet authority that made Chouji _want_ to answer him. All questions had a double meaning, and Chouji found himself constantly pausing to figure out any traps hidden behind sugared words.

Somehow, Minato had gone from the village idiot to the genius.

_Yet another similarity to Naruto_, he thought, trying to not look in the blonde's direction. The icy stare was giving him chills. _Ino – get your butt over here!_

* * *

Minato carefully hid any traces of emotion, portraying a façade of detachment. In reality, he was carefully examining every feature and tick of the man in front of him. Daiske Chou. 167cm tall (5ft, 5in), approximately 133 kilos (250Kgs). Brown hair, brown eyes and pale skin. He hung out a lot with Yakamino Shika, a brilliant strategist, and Nawaki Ino, a sharp saleswoman. He spent a lot of time cooking, but he was famous for being kind hearted, especially to children. He gave free meals to orphans and widows, and apparently he was always very kind to the poorest of customers. It wasn't uncommon to hear about the Daiske giving a bowl to someone for free.

He never got lectured for it, bringing Minato to question under whose orders Chou was acting.

He suspected Naoki.

Naoki…

Minato tore his mind away from that subject, choosing to continue analyzing Chou instead.

Chou was nervous. It wasn't easy to tell, but Minato hadn't been studying with the T&N Unit (Torture and (In)-terrogation) for four months without reaping the fruit of his labour. The why and wherefores of Minato's increased time in the T&N aside, he had gained valuable experience in reading body language, even though he sometimes wondered if all that time with Ibiki was _really_ necessary. He liked the guy, but he could be… yeah.

No matter the source's quirks, with the in depth study Ibiki had given him, it was easy to see the hints of uncertainty and unease in the brunette. His lips were slightly white around the corners and he kept glancing over at Shinsei with slight ire. Other than that, Chou gave no hint of the intimidation he _had_ to be feeling from the duplicate glares levelled at him from both Tsunade _and_ Minato.

Minato opened his mouth to start on another round of questions – Chou would crack soon, Minato could practically _taste_ it – when they sensed the approach of a group of shinobi. Chou looked up, relief sharply splayed across his face. Shinsei let out a deep, shuddering breath, before paling abruptly. "I can't sense Tsuki-hime!" the boy gasped.

Chou nodded grimly. "Or Haruko."

Tsunade surged to her feet. No matter how she denied it, Minato knew she'd become attacked to the young woman in the last few weeks. "They're about a mile out." She said loudly. "If they're coming here at that pace its doubtful they're being pursued. I'm going to meet them." The glare she levelled at Chou dared him to contradict her. The man clearly had _some_ brains, as he nodded rapidly.

Tsunade was gone in a flash of green and red, Shinsei right behind her. Obito and Kakashi exchanged glances, before shrugging in a "Devil-May-Care" way and taking off after them. Minato stood up slowly, brushed off the leaves from the seat of his pants, and stretched calmly. When he was sure Chou was looking at him in puzzled curiosity, he smirked and flashed to a seal tag he'd placed on a tree after Chou had taken off their handcuffs on the trip here.

As he stalked toward the approaching ninja, he wondered what Chou's face would look like when he realized the Jounin was already a mile away.

* * *

Naoki had just a minute to think, _oh shi…_before Minato was standing in front of him, a foreboding look on his face. Minato casually looked over the group, taking in the semi-conscious Sakura and the sleeping Hinata. Turning back to Naruto, the older blond raised an eyebrow.

Naruto had the decency to flush brightly.

Apparently satisfied, Minato turned around. "Tsunade's up ahead. If you guys are too tired to move quickly, I can use the Hiraishin to get the wounded to her faster."

"You can take Haruko." Sai said firmly. "She's heavy."

A fist sleepily connected with his head. "I heard that, you ..." her voice trailed off into a mumble. Despite his claim, Sai didn't look very tired. A satisfied smirk played around the corners of his lips.

"Sai – 10. Haruko—"

Ino cut him off, "Haruko 11."

"What?" Sai turned his head to glare at her.

Ino smirked. "She totally got you with her…" She imitated the slap.

"That doesn't count, and even if it did, it wouldn't count for two points!"

Minato watched them, shocked and bemused. He'd never seen Sai react like this. Kiba, laying on an improvised stretcher, snorted a laugh. Ino and Sai were now toe-to-toe, Sai apparently not deterred by the pink haired growth on his back. "You don't even know what you're talking about!" Sai spat.

"Oh-ho!" Ino smirked; twirling her hair like a villain would twirl his moustache. "Hohoho! You underestimate my connections – Haruko is very informative when sleep-talking! She told me all about the AHU incident."

Sai's face darkened. "She didn't."

Ino smirked.

Sai growled. "Well, you're not the only one who listens to Sakura when she's sleep-talking. I know all about the 'Academy Noodle Incident.'" Ino froze. Shika froze. Kiba stopped in mid-laugh, delight filling his eyes. Naruto was staring at her with new appreciation.

"That was _you?"_ They chorused. Ino flushed darkly, spinning on her heals to face them.

"If any of you ever, _ever_, mention that again, you'll be submitted to two weeks of my tender loving care." Blue eyes flashed dangerously. "Got it!" Naruto, Shika and Kiba, not being suicidal in the least, nodded quickly, not taking their eyes off her in case she might lash out when they weren't looking. Sai on the other hand, crossed his arms over his chest.

He lifted an eyebrow. _"Try me."_ The painter dared.

Minato watched them behind carefully masked eyes, portraying the same clueless persona the 'Caravan' had become accustomed. Ino's face was flushed with adrenaline and excitement and Sai was stiller than Minato had ever seen him. Their eyes were shining, their teeth flashing dangerously. A familiar wildness shone from their eyes.

He recognized it.

RWS – Return Warrior Syndrome. A symptom of when a shinobi had been off duty for a long time before suddenly returning to battle. The surge of heightened emotions and the return of once-familiar adrenaline rushing through softened systems inevitably triggered it. Shinobi with brash emotions who didn't generally expend a lot of chakra were particularly susceptible. Typically it wasn't considered dangerous, but potentially addicting. Despite the obvious signs that at least at one point they'd been active fighters, Minato found himself assured that they hadn't been battling it out in at least two years.

Still he watched them through eyes that held reawakened suspicion.

* * *

_Three Years Previous_

Minato waved goodbye to the caravan, smiling so widely his eyes were squinted shut. As the wagon turned the bin that hid them from view, Minato's careless smile faded, cheerful eyes fading into a sharp, cunning gaze. Astute eyes watched the road for a moment. He would have stood there a while, the thoughts whirling through his head a mystery if not for one thing.

A hand reached out and slapped him, hard, on the cheek.

"_Ow!"_ Minato yelled, his hand flying to his cheek. "Kushina! What was that for?"

"That," the redheaded beauty spat out. "Was for putting on that ridiculous mask again!" She turned away from the sputtering jounin in a huff. "After all these years of training you out of it, and in one week you're back to acting like a cheesy manga character!" She scowled. "Like a no good dim-witted simpleton!

Minato laughed. "That's a little harsh, don't you think?"

Kushina raised an eyebrow, looking at him in a _who-do-you-think-you're-talking-to_ fashion.

_She's not going to buy it,_ Minato mused. His lips quirked as he continued sheepishly. _Who am I kidding? She was the only one the masks never fooled._

Years ago, before he'd even been accepted by Jiraiya, he had developed his affinity for creating different personalities which he would use as masks to fool the observers. Soon, these masks were used with ease in any necessary situation that his _real_ personality wouldn't be ideal. These situations ranged from infiltration missions to political meetings (in which it was critical that the elders underestimate him) to uncomfortable contact with overly emotional females (read: Kushina, Rin).

He'd used the masks many times over the years, even slipping them on when he felt daunted by his mismatched and off-balanced team. Minato had kept the fake persona for years when dealing with Kakashi, knowing (with the instinct that God grants clueless men who become the caretakers of children) that the boy needed the persona of a friend and powerful hero more than a strict and demanding sensei.

Obito had been under enough pressure from his clan – 12 years old and unable to activate the Sharingan – so Minato decided to become the fun uncle. As for Rin…

Well, he pretty much winged it with Rin for the first year before figuring out that she thrived off of a little attention and a lot of encouragement.

The only people he _couldn't_ fool were Jiraiya and Kushina. Jiraiya because he'd practically raised him, and Kushina…

Well, he didn't know _how_ Kushina had seen through the masks, but he _did_ know she couldn't _stand_ them. Eventually he had destroyed many of his false personas, especially when his face became so recognized it was impossible for him to go incognito anymore. Slowly he'd put away his masks, making the process gradual enough that most didn't notice the change.

…Which brought him to the rather uncomfortable position he was in now.

Kushina had him on the ground, his hand twisted behind him painfully and her foot pushing his face into the dirt. She was half straddling him, and he was sure it was no accident that her knee was pressed painfully into his side. "Well! Do you promise?"

Minato blinked. "Promise what?"

He couldn't see her, but he'd never known a woman who could make her eye-roll so loud. "Do you promise not to use those stupid masks again? If you're gonna become Hokage, the people need to see the strong side of their leader, not the thick-headed buffoon!"

Minato smiled into the dirt. "First off…" He said calmly before flashing a seal to kawarimi away. "I never said I'd become Hokage. You said that." Kushina snorted in disbelief. Minato mentally cringed. _Okay, so maybe I was thinking about that hat more than usual – so sue me! "Secondly,"_ He said quickly to distract her. "I'm going to have to use the 'masks' again."

Kushina's face twisted in rage. Eyes burning, she reached for a kunai, ready and willing to act out several of those threats she'd hurled at her friend over the years. Minato, being no fool, quickly shunshin'd behind her, grabbing her wrists in one hand he wrapped a leg around hers and, holding a knife to her throat, trapped her against him.

The redhead hissed darkly as Minato mentally crowed in victory. "Hear me out before you castrate me, okay?"

"Fine." The redhead muttered. Minato didn't trust her for a minute and didn't release her.

They stood in silence, as the man let the mask he'd already merged with fade away. "I don't trust them."

Kushina hesitated. "The caravan?"

"Aa." Minato replied quietly. "There's something… off… about them." He looked down at the woman in his arms soberly. "I don't trust them," He repeated firmly. "And until I do, I'll make sure that all they see is a dim-witted jounin, too kind and trusting for his own good. I'll make them see the buffoon – and not the jounin who'll kill them if they _ever_ turn on us."

He released her and turned away, beating a quick pace away from the walls.

Kushina watched him leave soberly.

She hated his masks.

* * *

With all his practice, it had been easy to put on a careless attitude in front of the Caravan members.

Sure, they could be friends with his team, with the village, and even with Kushina, but he guarded his trust like a father guards his virgin daughter – jealously. He kept his mask firmly in place – the mask of an easily manipulated nitwit, a friendly jounin without cunning.

For three years he'd gathered information, watching and listening – waiting. He'd grown to care for them, watching in awe as they took a former Iwa weapon and turned him into a child. He watched in amazement as they cured Kakashi, encouraged Obito, and helped Itachi to become human.

Even when he had suspected Naoki to be one of his relatives, even when Naoki became like a little brother, even when Minato began to see the entire group as an extension of his village – he never let his guard down completely.

As the years had gone on, he'd become more and more convinced of their shinobi background – they weren't really even trying to hide it anymore. And yet, for every piece of evidence he gathered that they were former nin, he became more and more convinced that they _didn't_ mean Konoha harm. Still… there was something he couldn't put his finger on, but it disturbed him.

_They were hiding something._ Minato realized, pretending to watch Ino and Sai bicker. _Something Big. Something dangerous. _

But what?

* * *

Shikamaru landed beside Naruto. They stood in the shadows for a moment, watching Tsunade check over the injured. Shikamaru subtly thickened the shadows around them, keeping their conversation from unwanted ears.

"He's going to confront us." The Nara said quietly.

Naruto didn't reply, his eyes focused on Kiba as the dog-boy stared off into the distance, probably wishing Shino was there.

Shikamaru drew a drag from his cigarette, blowing out the smoke in one long stream. The smoke hung in the air for a moment, before a soft breeze blew it away. Shikamaru glanced at Naruto, before looking back at the gathering below. He flicked the end of his smoke absently. "We miscalculated." Shikamaru continued. "We based too much of our calculations off of Kakashi's childhood memories." The genius paused. "Not that we would have gotten this far if not for him – his memory's impeccable. But even he had his perception jaded by immaturity. And the Yon… jounin's mask was – is – impeccable."

The blond shifted. Taking that as a sign to go on, Shikamaru continued. "Ino and I went over our observations again – her mind links are getting better all the time – and we realized that the Yondaime's clueless attitude in Politics actually gets him pretty far. He's been manipulating the elders for a while." Shikamaru smirked, his appreciation for a fellow strategist tempering his ire at being deceived. "I'd bet my last _yen_ that the council let him snag the Hokage seat in favour of Orochimaru because they thought he'd be a nice puppet."

"He's like a puppet master." Naruto finally said. His gaze shifted to the blond below, taking in the slight cunning that had been hidden before.

Shikamaru nodded, taking in another drag. "Aa. And a darned good one too."

Naruto nodded thoughtfully. "Right." He shifted again. "Well, he hasn't killed us yet. That's better than what most jounin would do. We probably bought some time by fighting on _their_ side."

The other man '_tsk'_ed. "Rather, he's probably known for a while, but didn't see us as a threat. That's changed now – we took out a bunch of Iwa elite with minimal injuries. That'd get _me _worried."

The blond sucked in a deep breath. "Well, like I said – he hasn't killed us yet."

"That doesn't mean he won't try." Shikamaru pointed out. "And we can't even retaliate."

The Jinchuuriki considered this, before slumping into a heap on the branch.

"_Ma-an_! Time travel sucks!"

* * *

Kiba stared over Tsunade's shoulder, not seeing anything. Adrenaline had long since stopped pacing in his veins and he felt exhausted. His shoulder hurt. Not as much as when that son-of-a-britchbark ran him through, but the dull ache didn't seem to leave him. He felt cold.

Numb.

He hadn't been injured since they'd left their own time. Actually, he hadn't been injured since Shino…

Kiba's flinch wasn't entirely because Tsunade's chakra poked at a delicate bruise.

_Shino__…_

He could almost see Bug-boy standing in the shadows, just out of his vision. If he looked, the mirage would be broken.

Kiba stubbornly didn't look.

If Kiba closed his eyes, he could imagine that the quiet stirring of the overhead leaves was the kikai-bugs humming in tune to Shino's emotions. Bug-boy'd always been annoyed when either he or Hinata got hurt. Most people couldn't tell, but Kiba knew.

He knew that Shino had a hero streak a mile long.

Kiba knew that Shino hated to be left out almost as much as he hated being the centre of attention.

He knew Shino could carry a grudge for years.

He knew Bug-boy had a rib-cracking sense of humour that he hid like a dagger under that coat of his.

Had.

Sensing his partner's growing melancholy, Akamaru whined. For once Kiba didn't notice, his mind decades in the past.

Kiba and Shino hadn't gotten along at first – at all. For months, Hinata was forced to play matchmaker, her fragile self-confidence shaken by her team-mates as they ignored her and belittled each other. Their animosity rivalled Sasuke and Naruto's at times, except theirs was a lot less playful. Kiba, brash and overconfident, was like fire to Shino's calm and reasonable ice. And while opposites often attract, the team-mates similarities drove them even farther apart.

Both were stubborn, and both could carry a grudge for an eternity and a day. They had fierce pride in their clans and partners – Akamaru and the Kikai. Neither of them liked Asuma. Both of them thought Kurenai was hot. Neither of the boys would listen to a plan they didn't like.

And, the biggest problem was, both of them had a crush on Hinata.

Later, both boys found it incredibly ironic that the very thing that drove them apart, brought them together. Hinata's relationship with her family only became known to them after three months as a genin-team. The boys had been racing to meet Hinata first – not that either boy would admit it – when they had heard Hinata getting chewed out _royally_ by her cousin in the Hyuuga compound. They'd been forced to listen as Hinata was called a disgrace and a shame – a slur not worth her title or even her life. Neji belittled her manner, conduct, and appearance. Her intelligence was brought into question, as were her morals.

And to the eternal rage and shame of Shino and Kiba – Hinata stood there and took it.

Then he insulted her team.

And suddenly shy, timid _silent_ Hinata wasn't so quiet. Stuttering and blushing, trembling with fear but filled with righteous fury, Hinata stood up to her cousin for the first time. She defended her team, speaking of their good qualities, not even mentioning their faults. She defended them as fiercely as her tiny, beaten down spirit could, not backing down even when Neji stared down at her with distain.

Shino and Kiba slunk away – ashamed.

Later, the boys signed an unofficial truce, decided that protecting Hinata from her relatives was more important than their rivalry. Hinata – as far as Kiba knew – never found out about what caused their change of heart. But the agreement soon spawned other agreements, as Shino and Kiba began to recognize their similarities and differences, especially as first Shino's, and then Kiba's crush on Hinata began to fade.

Eventually – reluctantly – they became friends.

Neither of them ever forgave Neji.

* * *

As years went on, Team 8 became closer and closer. If Team 7 was known as the most broken, Team 8 was the most unified. They were best friends, family, and confidants. Kurenai eventually stopped being 'Sensei' and became 'Senpai.' Or even just Kurenai. During the war, where all elite jounin were given solo missions a lot, Shino was elected team-leader over the (feigned) protests of Kiba.

Shino was an efficient leader, if a bit stubborn. The boys clashed, but they always did, and by this time the female on the team was quite skilled at being mediator. Hinata was eventually elected as Clan Head, and Team 8 was officially dissolved.

Unofficially, they were as strong as ever.

Shino and Hinata still came to Kiba's bedside every time he got hurt (which was more often than he'd ever admit), and Hinata still made them lunch and medical herbs when she had the time.

And then Bug-boy had the gall to go and die on them!

For Kiba!

Because _he_ had messed up.

And Kiba thought that was really stupid and selfish of the S.O.B. because despite Kiba's best efforts, he was injured again, and this time his friend wasn't there to stand at his bedside and chide him silently for going _right_ when he should have gone _left_.

The freak wasn't even here to comfort Hinata! Or to tell Neji off when Kiba couldn't – that is, when the Hyuuga made some witty comment that Kiba didn't have a smart comeback for (not that that happened often, of course…).

Shino was just…

Gone.

And Kiba didn't think there was anything he'd hated someone for more.

* * *

Minato leaned against the tree behind him, watching the hustle and bustle as the medic nin healed the injured. His chakra was almost back to full potential, as was Kakashi's. Obito and Rin, however, still had a ways to go. Tsunade obviously had enough to be healing, so he assumed she had sufficient chakra to fight if she had to. They had their weapons. The Wagon, the great monstrosity that held all of the Caravan's wares had fortunately been 'liberated' by Iwa, so they had that back.

Minato sighed softly. He'd procrastinated enough. Hand lowering, he flashed some hand signals to Kakashi, assured that none of the members of the 'Caravan' would recognize them, as he'd developed them solely for his team. In his preoccupation with communicating with Team Minato, he failed to notice Katashi's sudden alertness, or the melancholy that lingered in old eyes. Kakashi acknowledged Minato's instructions at the same moment Katashi sent a slight burst of chakra to Naoki.

Minato moved toward Naoki, his movements sure and deliberate.

Naoki – alerted by Katashi's warning – watched him with calm wariness. Minato stopped in front of him. "I think it's time you and I had a talk."

* * *

The ANBU crept into the underground tunnel, totally creeped out. He's seen some seriously messed up things in his time, but this took the cake. He carefully opened a heavily armed door, breathing a sigh of relief when the last trap was unarmed. _Orochimaru – paranoid pervert or secret fan of…_

The ANBU gasped, freezing in place as he took in the room. Corpses hung suspended from the ceiling. Dissected parts were scattered around the room or carefully preserved in large jars. Gagging, the ANBU took out a small paintbrush and painted a near invisible seal on the wall, before smearing some of his blood on it. The chakra it emitted would hardly be noticeable unless you were looking for it – which Orochimaru most likely was.

But it was a risk he had to take.

Sarutobi-sama would now be alerted that he'd found _something_. If he was killed now, at least the Hokage would know to do an in-depth search. Not only that, but the seal would pinpoint the exact location to start. Trying not to breath in the air of the room too deeply, the ANBU carefully memorized defining characteristics. His stomach tightened as he recognized a Hyuuga and an Uchiha. The Uchiha had never managed to activate his eyes, but it was still worrying. Very, very, worrying.

Leaving the room, and resetting the traps, the ANBU continued down the hall. He opened several doors, but made no further damaging discoveries (fiddling with the insides of animals wasn't illegal, no matter how grotesque) until he arrived at the last door. Unlike the previous rooms, this door wasn't just sealed to keep intruders _out_ but to keep something _in_.

The ANBU only hesitated a moment before he was moving forward.

Maybe behind here he could find the answers.

* * *

Several miles away in Konoha, while Uchiha Mikoto hunched over the toilet in her bathroom, wondering if she'd gotten the stomach flu, Itachi counted off the days till the Caravan's return, and Sarutobi studied his maps intently, wondering about the increase of activity from the Bijuu that Jiraiya had reported.

And little did any of them know – things were coming to a head.

Soon.

* * *

TBC…

Outtake No. 1

_The ANBU crept into the underground tunnel, creeped out. He's seen some seriously messed up things in his time, but this took the cake. He carefully opened a heavily armed door, breathing a sigh of relief when the last trap was unarmed. Orochimaru – paranoid pervert or secret fan of…_

_The ANBU gasped, freezing in place as he took in the room. It can't be! It couldn't It is! A secret collection of Jiraiya-sama's first drafts!_

* * *

Okay... that Outtake was a little weird, but never mind.

Anyway - so recap - Naruto and the gang have fun beating up some Iwa punks (sorry the battle wasn't better, but I worked two weeks on it, so I figured that was as good as it was going to get), Minato and his team and Tsuande and Shizune have their friend's ninja skills smack them in the face, we see that Minato's not quite the goofy guy we thought, and the mysterious ANBU discovers something in Orochimaru's cave. And why is Itachi's mother so sick?

Tune in Next Time to read the 15th Chapter - comming soon to your computer screen!

On a more serious note - feel free to tell me what you think - could the battle have been better? What did you think of Minato/Naruto/Random Character X. Should I have elaborated more on Yuri's betrayal?

I love constructive critisim, and I love hearing you thoughts. Many times people have pointed out flaws that make the story and the plot much better, so if you help me, technically you help yourself to read a better story.

In Summary...

Review!


	15. Strings to Follow

_I wonder exactly how many people had a heart attack just now... hm... Anyway - my appologies and explanations are on below the story. This chapter is shorter than normal, and I appologize for that, but it was an option between submitting a shorter chapter, or taking even LONGER to update. Anyway - thank you for waiting so patiently and for all your kind and encouraging reviews and PMS. To everyone who wrote me and asked me what was going on - you know who you are - thank you so much!_

_Also - to everyone reading this chapter, give a very special thanks to my Beta Eleature, for her very fast, very thorough Betaing job. If it weren't for her, you'd probably be getting this two weeks from now. _

Holding Destiny Chapter 15

Sunlight flittered through the layered braches, shining through the thin leaves of the trees until it beamed down on the shinobi below to the stare down that had been going on for several minutes. Minato and Naruto were engaged in a face-off that made their team members shift and cough, shuffling their feet in the dark, shadow-cooled earth. A few of them wanted to look away, but it was like a train wreck – you just couldn't.

The silent battle of wills continued.

Minato was the one to break the silence. "Are you going to answer the question or not?"

"As I have stated before – my people haven't done anything to you, your village, or any other village out there. We've maintained loyalty to our contract." Naruto stated clearly.

Minato raised an eyebrow and leaned back slightly as the corner of his mouth tilted up slightly. The small shine of victory was Naruto's only hint he'd made a misstep.

"So you don't deny it," Minato stated lightly.

Biting back the urge to swear, Naruto pressed forward, determined to turn the slip-up into a victory. "I don't see the point. You already knew we were former shinobi. My question is why you're only confronting us now? You've had to have known for years now. Not that it matters," Naruto shrugged in fake nonchalance. "We have nothing to hide."

"Oh, I doubt that." Minato fell silent, studying him closely. "You are all very powerful – that's obvious. High chuunin," He nodded to Shinsei who was tucked into Hinata's side, "To jounin, most likely. You carry yourselves with confidence, so you're either very cocky, or you're very powerful." Minato flashed a feral grin. "Considering we're standing here talking instead of marching our cheerful way to an Iwa execution block, I have to assume the latter."

Naruto lifted his chin, nostrils flaring. The tilt of his head caused his eyes to catch the sun and they flared into almost iridescent blue.

"And as for having nothing to hide," For the first time, Minato looked angry, his mouth thinning, his eyebrows coming down to meet in the middle of his forehead. "Do you take me for a fool?" He hissed. "Even a blind child could see you're hiding something." Minato sneered. "You gave yourselves away the moment you helped the Uchiha, the moment you forged the treaty. No one, Naoki, is that selfless. Not even you – and believe me…" Minato trailed off. Lips pressed together tightly, he shook his head, his right hand making an aborted gesture in the air. "I don't know what your goals are." Minato stated, and then paused before conceding. "Not yet, anyway." He took a step forwards, into Naruto's space, his face inches from Naruto's. "But I can tell you this – if you're plotting anything – _anything_ – contrary to Konoha's best interest, I will hunt you down and kill you myself."

Naruto watched his father stoically, only his baby blue eyes reflecting the storm that raged within. Identical eyes locked, flinty and unyielding as both men made their claims. Finally, Naruto tipped his head down slightly, acknowledging the jounin's point. Sakura tensed at the concession, her muscles tightening unperceivable unless you were a ninja killer trained from infancy to read body posture and draw accurate conclusions as to the feelings of the specimen studied. Which, they were.

Minato's eyes honed in on her, sizing her up, his eyes trailing her from head to foot.

Katashi moved behind her and meet his former teacher's gaze squarely over her shoulder. The protective "_Mine"_ read loud and clear and Minato loosened his muscles, falling into a lax posture that was meant to lull the enemy into a false sense of security. His attention flitted from the young woman to the man behind her even as his mind raced: identifying, classifying, and locating. Not a lover. Not a father. A mentor? No – a teacher. A leader. Minato turned back to Naoki, watching the way the others watched him, watching the way that he watched his followers.

"So – you've admitted your obvious shinobi origin." He paused again, face stiff. "And you have a hidden objective. Now what I can't figure out is what objective you could be after. If you were looking to harm Konoha, then you messed up, because your behaviour has made you suspect. You and your caravan are monitored closely for any suspect behaviour, so any attempt at sabotage or infiltration would be detected immediately. If you were looking to steal some of our soldiers to make a new village, you shouldn't have encouraged your contacts to bond with their team-mates." Minato's forehead wrinkled as he concluded, "Your actions make no sense."

Naruto's eyes were blank as he watched the confused jounin. "Minato…" Naruto said, his voice low and serious. "I hope you never _have_ to understand."

Then, as if a switch had been thrown, the blond grinned. "But, nevertheless, you're bluffing." He singsonged.

Tsunade blinked, taking another look at the smirking blond. She choked slightly – was this kid suicidal? Obito sucked in a deep breath, shifting back a step to get out of the line of fire. Sai's mouth twisted into a grotesque smile. Katashi stood stalk still and silent at Naoki's back, his visible eye focused on Namikaze's posture.

"Bluffing…" Minato whispered. Naruto's smile widened.

"Do you know what the problem is with you, Minato?" Naruto walked around the Yellow Flash like a tiger stalking his prey, the leaves crunched beneath his feet. He leaned forward to whisper like he was sharing a secret. "You care too much." Naruto's smile was all teeth as he leaned back. "You've had suspicions for months and this is the _first_ time you're saying anything?" Naruto shook his head. "And then when you do confront me – you do it like this."

"Like what?" Minato asked. The jounin's voice was carefully controlled and even.

Naruto's eyes glittering with flecks of red. "Look around you, Minato." He gestured to the shinobi that stood around them. "Your chakra's depleted. You've been working non-stop for the last month to take care of a village, and your mental strength is exhausted after fighting for six months straight on the front. You're outnumbered. You might have placed a seal or two on your way to this clearing, but they all head in the wrong direction. If you tried to run and we were the enemy, you'd be sunk, and you know it."

Behind him, Kakashi sucked in a breath, truly taking in their surroundings for the first time. He's been too exhausted – emotionally, physically, and mentally – to evaluate the odds when they stopped and he'd been operating as if he was surrounded by allies. Now though, all their weaknesses were laid out in the open, and the odds were not tipped in their favour. He felt his breath become uneven as adrenaline surged through his blood and deliberately evened it. He was a jounin of Konoha. He had – _would_ – keep it together.

"What's your point?" Minato asked, face void.

Naruto's smile faded and he stopped in front of his father. "You don't want us to be the bad guys, Minato." His eyes gentled. "I know you, Minato. If we were a threat, you'd be duty bound to kill us, or at least die trying. You would have to kill your heart to do it, but you _would_ do it, because Konoha is the village you love, that houses the woman you love, a place that you've given everything to without asking for anything in return." Naruto sighed and walked away. "But you don't think that'll happen, and that's the reason you confronted us here."

He turned around and pointed at his look-a-like. "You'd rather die yourself than let anyone die for you, so you're not going to risk your team. You are certainly not going to blow four years work in such a hasty move." Naruto gestured around him, arms swinging wide. "I mean, come on, you want to confront us _here_?" He laughed harshly. "Here, where there's no one to apprehend us if we run, where you can tell your loyal friends, friends who _owe_ us, to keep their mouths shut."

Minato's face remained blank but his fingers were twitching slightly. Tsunade pushed herself off of the tree which had been her leaning post. "What's your point, brat?" She snapped, coming to stand beside her fellow jounin. Minato's posture remained upright, but he leaned slightly into her. Not for the first time she wished Kushina was here. That woman was the best at reminding Minato he wasn't alone.

Naoki's face twisted slightly at her "endearment" and he backed off. "No. No point." He stepped back and his own group of people condensed around him, enveloping him in their midst. "We're not your enemy, Minato. Kami-sama – I consider you the family I never had! And you're right, we do have secrets, but they're_ our_ secrets."

"And if those secrets endanger our village?" Minato's eyes were flinty.

"They won't." Naruto swore.

Father and Son met each other's eyes across the clearing. Slowly, Minato's eyes lightened and he nodded.

"Okay." He said softly. "I believe you."

_I trust you…_

~*~*~

The heat rolled over Konoha in waves, the air so humid it settled like a stone in Itachi's lungs. The eight year old remained still, kneeling in front of his father. His father – _the traitor_. "Do you understand, Itachi." It wasn't a question. Itachi forced his fingers to remain lax on his knees. _Never let them know they've unbalanced you_, Naoki's voice whispered. Instead, Itachi watched his father quietly, his eyes unwavering in their focus.

"I understand." He whispered. He did, he really did. He understood that if he was loyal to Konoha, he would have to ensure that not one member of the Uchiha Clan survived. Itachi stood calmly and bowed. "I will strive to ensure that the Uchiha Clan gets exactly what it deserves, Otousan." He bowed again and turned sharply on his heel to leave the Uchiha compound. He didn't let the tears that burned at the back of his eyes show until he was at his team's training ground. Then he stood for a full ten minutes, his mind racing. His family was a family of traitors.

What did he do? Did he turn his back on his village? Or his family? If he turned on the village, he would have to kill any and all opposing ninja, inevitably including Kakashi, Minato-san and Kushina. If he turned on his family… His father, his mother, his aunts and uncles. His cousins.

_Oh God, Obito…_

Obito wasn't part of the plot. Couldn't be. _Wouldn't be_. He loved his team too much. Obito would fight against the Uchiha clan – which had done nothing but scorn him – for his friends – who had welcomed him. But if he was…

Itachi choked, the bile burning at the back of his throat overwhelming him. He rested one hand on the trunk of a tree as he bent over and retched. He vomited until his stomach emptied and moved on to dry heaving. The saliva that hung in strings from his mouth were soon joined by a steady stream of tears, not all of them a result from the dry heaving. _What am I supposed to do? _Itachi lifted a trembling hand and grabbed the pendent that Naoki had hung from his neck years ago. _Naoki, I really need you right now. Tell me what I'm supposed to do!_

He waited for a minute, as if expecting Naoki to appear beside him that instant. When nothing happened, he hung his head with a choked off sob. His knees felt weak and he started to slump to his knees, unheeding of the bile under him.

Two arms entwined over his chest as Kushina held him up against her. She hugged him from behind, silent as his silent tears turned into heart-broken sobbing. Itachi leaned back into her, suddenly self-conscious about the sour smell of his breath, the tears on his cheeks, and his soiled clothes. "I-I don't…" Itachi blinked rapidly, staring at the ground. "I'm sorry."

She turned him around and hugged him tighter, still not saying anything but making gentle noises in the back of her throat. With a start, Itachi realized that maybe, just maybe, he had never felt so unconditionally loved before.

Hardening of his heart, he made his choice.

~*~*~

The passage of the caravan and its companions was marked only by the squeak of the wheels. Obito's eyes stayed fixed on the ground before him, biting his lip angrily. He avoided Kakashi's even stare and shrugged off Rin's concerned hand. Obito knew that his team-mates were exchanging glances but he just couldn't bring himself to care. His "friends" had _lied_ to him. Repeatedly. They'd lied about their names, their occupation, their pasts… He was left confused and wondering if he had ever actually _known_ Katashi, Naoki and Haruko. Even Shinsei. _Especially_ Shinsei.

_Do I even know them at_ all_?_

Were they even his friends? Or were they just pretending in that too?

Obito's head was low as he sped up slightly to leave his friends – were they? Really? – behind. He figured he was safe walking next to Tsunade. _She_ at least had never pretended to like him. He felt the stares boring into his back but he continued walking with his back straight.

"It's very easy," Tsunade said suddenly, startling him. "It's very easy when you're sad and scared to tell a lie to a stranger. Then the lie grows and becomes impossible to take back when that stranger becomes a friend." He looked up to find her watching him from the corner of her eye. "Sometimes, not always, but sometimes, the friendships you build after the lie are stronger than the friendship you had without the lie." She looked ahead again. "It all depends on what you do _right now_." Her eye flickered to him. "Don't miss out, Brat."

Obito stared at her, jaw tight, but Tsunade, having said her piece, seemed content to ignore him. Obito bit his teeth one more time and then slowly let himself drop back to where Shinsei was walking with Tsuki-hime.

Tsunade in contrast sped up until she reached Minato's side. "I hope you know what you're doing." She said quietly.

Minato cocked his head slightly, "They've given us no reason for doubt…" He considered for a moment. "Yet."

"It's that _yet_ that worries me." Tsunade murmured. Minato gave no response and the Slug-Princess continued on casually, "On the other hand, they have given you an…_edge_… on the Council." Minato shot her a cold glare.

"If you're implying that I would put my _own_ ambitions above Konoha—"

Tsunade sniffed. "I wouldn't be so stupid. But I do know you've already worked them into one of those plans you have spinning around in your head."

"Oh, really," Minato said. "And what plans are those?"

"If I knew would I be asking?" Her voice lowered even farther. "You have to move quickly. What edge Orochimaru had as Sandaime's prize pupil has been greatly diminished with the new suspicions cast against him. You'll also face opposition from Danzo from Root, but he too is rapidly losing influence. His recent movements have disturbed us greatly. You have a small opening, Minato." She looked at him. "If you use it wisely, you'll be our next Hokage, and maybe you'll bring about that peace you and Jiraiya are always talking about."

Minato's lips twitched. "It seems you know more than you're willing to admit to."

"Mm…" They continued in silence, the chatter behind them filling the silence. "I have some council members who owe me. I'll promote your values and minimize your faults to them. You'll still need to work hard at the Uchiha and the Hyuuga. If the Uchiha endorse you, the Hyuuga certainly will not. However, since you have a member of that clan on your team, the Uchiha would be an easier victory." She looked up to find Minato staring at her. "What?"

"In the time since your lover's death, Tsunade, I have _never_ heard you take interest in Konoha's affairs. What chang…" He stopped, staring at her turned away face. "Ah… I see." He grinned. "He's quite a character isn't he?"

Tsunade glared at him, her head rearing back and her eyes flashing. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Play stupid all you want," Minato laughed. "We both know the truth." Tsunade gave him an impossible suggestion and Minato laughed harder.

He was still teasing her when a tense air descended around the caravan. The jounin spun around to see Naoki freeze in mid-step, his hand coming up to grab at a small charm tied onto his belt. Naoki's eyes were wide as he stared at the charm, head tilted as if listening to a nonexistent sound. He moved abruptly, lurching up to Katashi to whisper a message in his ear. The brunette stared at him, eyes hard and stony, before he nodded once. Naoki paused a second to send a nod to Haruko before he leapt into the nearest tree and took off in a blur of gold, blue, and brown with Katashi hot on his heels. The remaining ninja and traders exchanged startled, worried glances.

Minato and Tsunade exchanged startled glances. With a nod, Tsunade darted up into the trees and took off after them.

~*~*~

_On the Way to Konoha_

Itachi's charm was burning against his skin and the child's words echoed over and over again in Naruto's ears. Naoki_, I really need you right now… Tell me what I'm supposed to do!_ Naruto sprang to another branch. "What do you think happened Kakashi?"

"I don't know." Kakashi stated calmly. "Are you sure the pendent signalled that it was…"

"Yes!" Naruto snapped. "It's burning my wrist off. It's definitely time." Naruto scowled. "If we don't hurry, Itachi will be determined to kill the clan."

Kakashi ran in silence before suddenly growling. "I thought," Kakashi snarled, "we had more time!"

Naruto's eyes narrowed, the flecks of red thickening. "It doesn't make sense!" He hissed. "The Itachi I know would _never_ betray the village. He's not cold anymore! He wouldn't do this, surely!" Naruto felt the charm give one huge surge and then crumple, leaving his wrist bare and burnt. The despair that filled him was such that he couldn't make the next jump but stood there staring at his naked wrist. "No…"

Kakashi landed beside him. "He's decided then."

His captain didn't answer. Suddenly clawed fingers snatched up the string and tied it back on. "I won't give up on him so easily. If it's the last thing I do, I'll change his mind." Naruto looked up. "It's not just for Sasuke anymore, Kakashi. It's for Itachi too."

"Hai, taichou."

"Let's go." Naruto jumped to the next branch. "I will defiantly not let Itachi become a murderer. How far are we from Konoha?"

"If we go as fast as we can without stopping – two hours."

Naruto nodded. "An hour it is."

They barely flinched when Tsunade's chakra approached them. When she landed beside them Naruto ignored her except to yell over his shoulder, "Don't slow us down."

"You'd be the ones slowing me down if I knew where you were going!" Tsunade yelled back.

"Konoha!" Naruto called. "I have to help a friend."

~*~*~

The Anbu gagged. Horror and nausea rising in his throat with his dinner. The dissected bodies were laying haphazardly around the room, laying where they'd been thrown when Orochimaru had been done with them. To his horror, the Anbu recognized one of the Uchiha who had gone missing in the last mission, one Inuzuka who had died in battle, but whose body hadn't been recovered, and a Hyuuga. The Hyuuga was still on the table and still untouched. He thought she was dead until her cold still lips gave out a small whimper. With a gasp, the Anbu member reached her side and began examining the seals that kept the Branch Member paralyzed on the table.

_The seals are so complicated! I didn't know Orochimaru was so skilled with seals… or he had help._ The Anbu swallowed thickly. _Hokage-sama,_ I'm_ gonna need help _really_ soon. _Standing, he placed a hand on her forehead. She gave a terrified whimper and he bent down to whisper in her ear, "I can't release you. The seal has an alarm system, and I need to do some more recon. But I won't let you die. That's a promise."

A few tears escaped down her cheek but she nodded as well as she could. The Anbu rubbed a hand through her hair as well as he could before moving on. He painted a seal in the room with his chakra, closing it off to outside influence. It wouldn't hold someone like Orochimaru, but it would give the Anbu an early warning. He snapped a picture of the room and moved on to the next room.

The Anbu frowned when he realized the traps inside the door were placed to keep something _in_ rather than to keep him _out_. He juggled his options for a moment before continuing to open the door. The huge basins of green glowing tubes caught his attention first but his confusion was soon overwhelmed by his horror. Strange creatures floated in the containers. They hung in the water like strange and bizarre science experiments. Which was what they were.

All the experiments were grotesque and twisted, none of them resembling humans. They displayed no rational thought, lunging at the glass as he passed, making animal sounds but nothing that could resemble speech. He continued down the line, making small seals on the floor, the small camera taking pictures of the evidence. He rounded the bend and stopped. A small box of metal was standing beside the last container. The front was made of glass, and the Anbu could see the small boy locked inside clearly. In the pale lighting he could also see the numerous seals that covered the entire box inside and out. Whoever this kid was, Orochimaru hadn't wanted him getting out.

The Anbu backed away. He had enough evidence. Time to get the girl and get out of here.

He turned around to come face to face with Orochimaru.

"Well… What do we have here – a _rat_." The Sanin hissed, eyes flashing darkly.

The Anbu took a startled step back. Fear coiled up his spine but with it came suicidal determination. He wasn't getting out of this alive, but if he could stall then the Hokage could come with reinforcements. "You won't get away with this." He said as smoothly as he could.

"On the contrary," Orochimaru replied. "I've been _getting away_ with this for seven years. One little rat scurrying through my tunnels isn't going to change that."

_Seven years!_ The Anbu mourned. How many of his friends declared dead had been declared dead, only for them to have been shuttled away to this gruesome fate. "Sandaime-Sama will stop you." The Anbu pledged. "You may kill me, but there will always be another _rat_. You'll get reported and someone will catch you."

"Hmm…"Orochimaru tilted his head. "Maybe, maybe. But it won't be by you."

"No…" An old voice behind Orochimaru said quietly. "It won't be by Rat-san." The Sandaime stood in the doorway, looking at his pupil with wrath and sadness.

~*~*~

Naruto landed within the Konoha gates, Katashi and an irritated Tsunade beside him. "Where are our guards. We got in way too easily."

"No," Naruto replied. "Katashi had us under a genjutsu."

"What!"

Naruto turned to her, "Tsunade, I don't know why you came with us, but one of my friends needs me. If you'll excuse me." He sketched a short bow and shunshin'ed away. He stopped in front of Itachi's team's training ground and froze to see his charge in a state of great disarray. Itachi's hair was mussed and sweaty, his cheeks stained with dirt and vomit. He had tear tracks down his face and neck. But most importantly, he was crying silently – brokenly – into Kushina's arms.

"Itachi?"

Kushina and Itachi looked up and an expression of pure relief spread across his mom's face. Itachi's face crumpled and he gave off another choked off whimper. Naruto was there in an instant, tugging the boy out of Kushina's arms and into his own. They exchanged significant looks and the redhead made herself absent. Naruto remained kneeling in the grass, his little protégé curled up like a baby weasel against his side. Finally, Itachi's shudders turned to shivers and his sobs to quiet sniffs.

"I don't want to do it, Naoki." Itachi said into Naruto's chest. Naruto's arms tightened around him. "But… I don't see any other way." He pulled back and wiped an already soiled sleeve across his face and only succeeded in smearing the snot and tears.

"Let's get you cleaned up," Naruto said. "When you feel better, you can tell me about it. Okay? We'll figure it out together."

Itachi nodded, looking down. "I don't think I'll ever feel better, Naoki. It's… It's like hole eating me up inside."

Naruto said nothing, just held the boy tighter against him. How old was he right now? (Seven. No… He was eight.) "Come on, Itachi. Let's see if Kushina-chan will let us use her bathroom, yeah?"

~*~*~

Kushina leaned against the doorway and watched as Naoki carefully washed Itachi's face and arms. The small boy was dressed in some pyjamas that Obito had left the last time he spent the night. The clothes were four sizes too big on him. When he was clean and under the warm covers of her bed, Naoki pulled her aside. "Kushi-chan… Would you mind… er…" He blushed. "I don't want to throw you out of your house or anything…"

Kushina smiled and patted his cheek gently. "Itachi – I'm going out to get some Dango. What flavah do ya want?"

"Dango?" Itachi repeated, perking up slightly. He gave a slight smile. "Chocolate?" He frowned, thinking hard. "Or… Maybe Strawberry? But then… the other flavours aren't that bad either…" Kushina laughed and ruffled his hair.

"I'll just get a little of everything then," She grinned. Turning to Naruto she said quietly, "Take care of him. I don't know what happened today, but someone broke that little boy's heart."

Naruto nodded and shut the door behind her. He waited until she was out the apartment-door below before coming to sit beside Itachi. "Do you think you could talk now?"

"Yeah." Itachi said without an iota of emotion in his voice. "What do you do when you have to choose between your village and your family?" Itachi looked up. "Especially, when all your family has given you is cold-, hard-hearted people whose only goal is to mould you into a weapon, while the _village_ has given you a purpose and friends and a _real_ family. But you still-" Itachi's voice broke and he stopped. He swallowed twice and continued evenly. "You still love your family, and you want them to love you, even though you know it's impossible for them to love you for anything other than a weapon. You _don't care_ if they're proud of you… I just want my mom and my dad to _love_ me." His head bowed. "But they don't, and they never will."

"Itachi—" Naruto started.

"No!" The boy yelled. "Let me finish."

Naruto looked at him closely for a second before nodding. "Okay."

"I'm torn between my village and my family, because…" Itachi's fingers dug into the blankets. "Because my family has been revealed to be nothing but traitors to Konoha! They have been planning a revolt for years to overthrow the Council and the Hokage. They plan to k-kill everyone who gets in their way, whether it be within their own family or without. They have these terrible plans, Naoki, for who they're going to attack first, where they're going to attack, who they will be able to sway to their side. They plan on spreading rumours to undermine the current Hokage, or anyone he elects so that the new ninja will fall in with them. They even have certain council members on their side. They w-want me to be their weapon. My father told me this morning that he wants me to infiltrate Anbu and bring it down from the inside. He wants me to be the best, so I can kill all the other best."

Itachi looked up into Naruto's shocked face. "What do I do, Naoki? What am I supposed to do?"

Naruto stared at him, his mind racing. So _this_ was why Itachi had killed his family? Because they had all been traitors? Naruto's mind spun, his thoughts heading in a hundred different directions. But first… He stood up and turned his back to Itachi. "You choose which one you would regret _not_ following more. You finally choose to whom your loyalties lie."

"My loyalty lies to Konoha." Itachi said evenly, coming to stand beside Naruto. "And it always will."

"Then, when the time comes, you won't have to do anything. _I'll_ take care of it." Itachi nodded. "In the meantime, you need to tell the Hokage everything you know. Do it discretely and do it when it will serve the most advantage. Are they planning on moving soon?"

"No." Itachi replied. "They have to wait until an Uchiha," He looked at Naoki wryly. "Me, is in Anbu and powerful enough to take out the rest." Itachi bit his lip. "Naoki – what about Obito. He isn't part of the plot. The others have judged him…" Itachi sniffed. "Unworthy. They plan on killing him with the rest."

Naruto's red eyes looked out towards the Uchiha compound. "Let me worry about that."

~*~*~

From where he was kneeling at the window, Kakashi heard everything. His Sharingan eye felt like someone had jabbed a needle through it. Somewhere, Kakashi knew, _his_ Obito was crying. _So this is why you turned, Itachi. Hmph… after all these years. Why didn't you ever say anything? I would have listened – understood._

Not many people knew that Itachi had been one of Kakashi's subordinates during his first years in Anbu. Of course, since Itachi had made Anbu captain three years after his acceptance into Konoha's special forces, that hadn't been very long. Of course, in Anbu, where your companions could be dead the next day, the operatives had one of two reactions – they withdrew, so as not to be hurt by friend's deaths, or they became best of friends. Itachi had been of the former, or so Kakashi had thought.

Now he wondered if Itachi had been preparing himself and his comrades for his eventual "betrayal."

At the time, Itachi and Kakashi had been birds of a feather. Both had graduated at an early age, both had been protégés, both known for being cold to everyone equally. Both had their secret charges – Itachi with his brother, Sasuke, and Kakashi with Naruto. Of course, no one pointed out _that_ resemblance if they wanted to remain intact, but it was still there. In the two and a half years that Itachi served under Kakashi, Kakashi had come to understand the boy, even to the point of predicting his moves.

After the Uchiha Massacre, Hatake had gone over all their interactions, remembering every word of their conversations, trying to grasp the subtle nuances of Itachi that had escaped him. He tried to figure out what sign he'd missed that would have shown him the psychopath below the poised mask. At the time, Kakashi had been able to piece together a picture, but it was disjointed and faded, a vague understanding of the complex mind that was Itachi.

Hatake paused, blinking rapidly. Why had Itachi kept his reasons a secret? Had he revealed the treachery of the Clan, he would have been welcomed a hero. But instead, he gave them the honour of martyrs. He made sure the clan pride was intact, that the respect held for them by the village didn't falter.

The picture was clear now, Kakashi realized. The pieces of the puzzle that had eluded him slipped into place. Itachi hadn't killed his family because they had wound him too tight. He hadn't killed them to test his strength. He hadn't even killed them because he hated them. He'd killed them because he loved his village more. He hadn't spared Sasuke to torture him. He'd spared Sasuke because he loved his brother more than he loved his village. He'd let the Clan keep their honour in death, and he'd made sure that Sasuke wouldn't be persecuted for being the son of a traitor.

He chuckled. "You earned your name, Itachi. You sly little weasel."

The one-eyed man stopped abruptly. The air tingled with anticipation. He smelled upturned earth and burnt wood and the heavy feel of killing intent just reached the edge of his senses. Slowly Kakashi turned and faced the outer woods, his eye narrowed. "Orochimaru and Sarutobi. Are they… fighting?"

His visible eye widened. "That's the direction of Orochimaru's lab. It's started!"

With a quick bound he jumped into the room. "Taichou – Orochimaru is fighting Sarutobi."

Naruto looked up sharply. "Do you have weapons?"

"Yes." Kakashi answered curtly.

"Good." Naruto turned to Itachi. "Go to Tsunade and Jiraiya. Tell them the Hokage is under attack." Itachi glanced between the two of them before darting out of the window. Now wasn't the time for questions. "Kakashi," Naruto continued when they were alone. "Are you ready?" Naruto gazed at his sensei calmly. "The last time we went against him—"

"The last time he was wearing the body of an Uchiha." Kakashi met Naruto's eyes squarely. "And the body of a student. Orochimaru destroyed my village, my friends, and my Hokage. He won't get away this time."

"Last time we had a lot more fighters on our side." Naruto pointed out.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Are you really authorizing us to back out?"

Naruto turned in the direction of the battle. "…No. Let's finish this."

~*~*~

TBC…

_I think this is the shortest chapter I've written for this story._

_I promised myself I wouldn't write a long author's not in this story, but I've got a lot of grovelling to do, so I'd better get to it._

_I apologize for the delay. It's been way to long since I last updated and I am really, really sorry. Basic excuses are discouragement (the reviews helped a lot guys. Thanks for getting me out of my funk), writers block, no time (school's being really demanding with my free time), and laziness (I'll do my best to make sure the last one doesn't delay any more chapters)._

_I'm really sorry for how short this chapter is, but as a consolation, quite a few of the major events have either happened, or have been set in motion._

_I'm sorry for not answering reviews anymore. I will occasionally, but real life has made it that I can barely reply to e-mails much less reviews. I do read every review that's sent, and I appreciate every single one of them. I was really discouraged with this story (thinking that it was a waste of time and that I couldn't write worth a sixpence) when I would get a review telling me that someone enjoyed my story or was looking forward for more._

_I am also making an apology in advance for sporadic chapters. I can't promise there'll be an update a month. I can promise I'll try to update once a month, but I can't make any guarantees._

_I think that about covers it._

_If you liked or didn't like my story, or if there's something to be improved, please, tell me! I welcome any and all constructive criticism, and I doubly welcome any comments about inconsistencies in the plot or storyline. I'll also take time to answer any questions you have. So – if you're up to it – please, review!_


	16. And the Ending is Death

_I'm alive! Shocker, I know. I could list the few thousand things that have happened this month (like moving to an different country, driving around said country (putting up to 17000 miles on a new car) to go to conferences, weddings, and visit family, and college applications, tests, and etc. etc... but I won't -_-)._

_Once again, thank you everyone for your reviews, PMs, favorites and alerts. I read/noticed each and every one. I'm very, very flattered. Personally, I don't see what you guys see in this story, but I'm so grateful for everyone sticking it out. I have to warn you - I was in a rush to publish this, so it HAS NOT been beta'd and it is very possible there will be blatant errors. Feel free to point them out but I hope to have the Beta'd version out in less than a week._

_Without Further Ado..._

Chapter 16

The ANBU quickly scrambled behind the boy's cage and slapped an explosive note on the wall. He wasn't sure if _he_'d make it out of here, but he'd do his best to make sure none of Orochimaru's experiments made it out either. He reached over to plant a note on the kid's box and tried to ignore the boy who looked up at him, eyes hopeless and resigned. The ANBU hesitated, explosive tag clutched in his hand. Then, in a decisive movement he slapped it on the side of the box. He grabbed the box and ripped off some of the seals so the sides fell to the ground. The boy stared at him incomprehensibly. "If you want to be free, I suggest you help us get out of here." The ANBU hissed. For a second he wondered if the child understood human speech, but the boy nodded.

The ANBU shoved a few dozen exploding notes into his hands and told him to plant them on the weigh-bearing walls. The boy handled them gingerly, looking from the notes to the ANBU, before scrambling off to the side. The ANBU shot a quick glance at the two titans facing off in the middle of the room and used their distraction to edge towards the door. He felt Orochimaru's attention shift to him but knew the snake master couldn't do anything without turning his back to Sarutobi. He glued a note on the closest pillar to the door that he could reach and met the eyes of the boy.

Sarutobi lunged forward, but Orochimaru pulled out his sword when he was midair, unable to move. Sarutobi's eyes widened, but he waited till the last possible second to curl into himself. The blade cut the air above his head, missing, but also throwing Orochimaru off balance. Before the Sannin could recover, the Hokage threw a katon.

Orochimaru swirled the sword in front of him, blowing away the fire. He used the break in the flames to cast a wind jutsu. The wind blew through the room, stinging blades whipping the pillars. The ANBU cried out as the sharp winds cut into him. The boy cringed, his hands slamming into the ground. Wood sprang up around him hiding him away from the room. The ANBU shot him an envious glance, and pulled out a kunai. He braved the wind to locate his target, and charged the blade. He threw the kunai at Orochimaru, not expecting it to hit his target, but hoping to buy his Hokage even split second.

Orochimaru's wind blew the kunai off course, but he couldn't escape all the shrapnel. He cried out, and the wind jutsu faltered, letting Sarutobi get in close. He bit his thumb and summoned the largest monkey he could in the space they had. Orochimaru let a sick smile spread across his lips. "So, it has come to this, has it?"

"What have you done, Orochimaru? What are all this monstrosities?"

The Sannin's smile slowly died. "They are my path, old man." He smeared some of his blood down his forearm. "And no one, not even you, is going to stand in my way."

---

Naruto and Kakashi landed softly on the ground, their chakra suppressed. "Same old Orochimaru," Naruto whispered, "always with the underground lair."

"I see the entrance."

"Good." Naruto stepped forward. "You go alert the others. I'll go help oji-san."

"Naruto..."

"Now, Kakashi." Naruto looked back at his sensei. "It's not a request."

The Copycat Nin glared. "If I let you go in there…"

"…you'll fulfill your orders, get reinforcements, _and_limit Orochimaru's escape options. Do you really think the two of us can take him?" Naruto rolled his head in the direction of the gates. "Go get me some help, Kakashi." Kakashi glared at his student, executed a textbook perfect salute and disappeared. Naruto turned back to the entrance. "If you're late this time Kakashi and I die, I will _so_ burn every copy of Icha Icha you brought with you, so help me _God_."

He dug out a kunai and twirled it around his finger. "Now, I got a pervert to kill, friends to save, a future to change. All in a day's work, yeah?" Naruto pulled open the trap door and jumped into the black.

---

Snakes hissed, monkeys roared, and the scrape of metal on metal echoed down the halls. The ANBU grabbed the boy and blew a hole into the wall, and escaped to the adjoining room. "You wanna live? I suggest you start running now." He thrust another stack of notes into the un-calloused hand. "Slap these on the walls on your way out."

The boy clutched the notes to him and took off. The ANBU ducked back into the room. "Sarutobi-Sama!"

The Sandaime didn't even spare him a glance. "I would run now, ANBU-san."

"But Hokage-sama, Orochimaru is…"

Now the Hokage looked at him. "ANBU-san, please remember who _I_am. This pipsqueak," he nodded to Orochimaru, "could never stand up to me."

The ANBU winced behind his mask. It went against everything he believed in to abandon his Hokage, but this was Sarutobi. He was the master of every jutsu recorded, from D-rank to S-rank, the sole Monkey Summoner, friend of Enma, Monkey king, and most powerful ninja alive with some of the largest chakra storages in the Shinobi Nations. The Hokage didn't need his help. It went against all his training, all his beliefs, all his _self_to run away, but if he stayed he would only slow Sarutobi down. Rat brushed a hand down his mask. _I don't deserve to wear this. _

Rat dashed through the doors, checking the placement of the explosive note. It would be a last resort, but while the evidence locked in the rooms was essential, it was just as important to ensure any sick experiments didn't make their way out into the real world. He rounded the corner and froze. Walking slowly down the hall was a man shrouded in chakra. The experiment-kid was huddled into one of the doorways whimpering as his un-calloused senses were assaulted by more chakra than the ANBU had ever felt in one place.

"Who are you?" Rat dug inside his pouch. _Three kunai, four shuriken, and my sword. Chakra's… okay._ _I hardly did anything before Sarutobi-Sama showed up. But… this chakra…_

"Hey, ANBU-san." The chakra slowly shrank to reveal a familiar face. Naoki, the caravan trader, stood with his hands shoved deep into his pockets, a casual grin gracing his face. "Imagine meeting you down here." The trader pulled out a hand to rub it through his blond locks. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got a date with a snake and I can't be late."

Rat spread his feet and pulled out a kunai. "So, you've been allied with Orochimaru all this time?"

"Eh?" The blond blinked. "_Eeeeh? Oh gross, _ANBU-hentai! Why would I _ever_work with a sick pervert like Orochimaru. No, I've got business with him. Orochimaru killed some people very precious to me."

"Is that so. Well, you're too late. Sandaime-sama has already engaged him." Rat tucked the kunai against his forearm. "There won't be anything left to take revenge on."

The blond nodded absently, his attention on the hand digging through his pocket. "Right, right." The merchant looked up. "Look ANBU-san, it's not that I _doubt_your Hokage or anything…" he pulled out a rolled sheet of parchment. "It's just that the hardest thing a teacher ever has to do is kill one of his students. And quite frankly…" Naoki shrugged. "I can't see Sarutobi doing that."

The ANBU hissed.

Naoki rolled his eyes. "Oh, come off it. Besides, if I remember correctly, you were running away, right?" Rat-san flinched.

"Look you—"

"Well, this _has_been fun and enlightening, I'm sure," the merchant interrupted. "But I've gotta go." He rolled out teh scroll to reveal a complicated seal etched in the middle. "See ya!"

The ANBU twisted around, his eyes roaming to and fro, but it was no use. Naoki had vanished.

----

Obito yawned, long and loud as the swayed with the rhythm of the wagon chugging behind him. His feet were killing him, the moon was overshadowed by thick clouds, and the cold fingers of evening crept through his clothes. He shivered, the motion jerking him awake. He thrashed his head as he tried to shed the sleepiness. All that resulted was an increased sense of vertigo. "Oi, Sensei! Can we stop now?"

Minato looked back at him. "Obito, we've run three day stretches without stopping. Why are you complaining now?"

"Cause this is _boring! _At least when we're running I feel like we're getting somewhere," the Uchiha jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "This wagon is taking _for_ever. I bet Tsunade-baabaa's _slugs_ could move faster." He ignored Kiba's glare. "Are we almost there?"

Kakashi suppressed a groan. _Not this again!_

"No, Obito," Minato-sensei said. "I'll tell you when we're within five miles."

Haruko and Ino exchanged a glance. "Are we there yet?" Ino asked.

"No, not yet." Answered Haruko.

"Are we there _yet?" _asked Ino again.

"Nope, not yet."

"How about now?"

"Still not there."

"And…now?"

"Nope."

"Now?"

"Niet."

"And about now?" Ino chirped.

"Nien."

"How about—"

"How about I kill you and the rest of us can walk in piece!" Kiba marched between them. "And then, if that doesn't shut you up, I'll have Tsuki knock you unconscious!"

"But Kiba…" said Ino.

"If we're dead…"

"…How will Tsuki…"

"…Knock us unconscious," said Haruko.

Kiba growled. Haruko giggled. They froze when Katashi landed in their path.

"Operation Babysit has commenced," he said calmly. "Get to your stations."

The caravan members stared at the silver haired silhouette for a quarter of second before vanishing into the woods. Katashi grabbed Kiba's arm as the boy slid past him. "Hold, Kiba." he turned to Minato. "Aa, Minato-kun. It seems that a little matter has come up," he said. "Would you mind watching the wagon for a little bit? Kiba will be staying with you."

"_What?"_asked Kiba.

Katashi looked at him. Kiba glared back defiantly. _My friends are out there,_ his eyes said. _Don't make me abandon them. _Katashi shook his head firmly. His hand tightened on Inuzuka's shoulder, reminding the boy of his injury. _You'd just get in the way._

Kiba bit through his lip.

Minato and the other ninja exchanged glances. "Sure," Minato said. "Is something the matter?"

"Oh, nothing big. Just a little sibling squabble." Katashi said over his shoulder. "It's amazing how grown men can act like three year olds sometimes."

"I see…" Minato said. It was clear he didn't. Obito didn't either. Neither did Kakashi. For that matter, _Shinsei_was confused. Katashi shrugged sheepishly and jumped into the trees.

As one, the remaining ninja turned to Kiba.

"Hey, don't look at me!" Kiba said bitterly "I didn't coin the stupid name."

His eyes followed Katashi's disappearing chakra trail. _Be careful you guys._

---

Naoki slunk out of one of the shadows in the room. Blue eyes widened as he caught his first glimpse of the infamous battle between Sarutobi and Orochimaru. Sarutobi Hiruzen stood in all his glory, chain mail covering him from neck down. His Hokage robes weren't even scorched. Orochimaru, on the other hand, looked exhausted. He heaved and gasped, blood stained the green jounin vest. His hiate slashed through the middle, straight through to the skin it protected. "Stop this, Orochimaru." Hiruzen said. "If you give yourself up…"

"…Then what?" Orochimaru answered. "You'll sweep it under the rug? Pretended my experiments never happened? Or maybe I'll just go to prison for the rest of my life." He snorted derisively. "Don't make me laugh!"

"I can't promise there won't be repercussions. But, if you show yourself to be sorry—"

"Sorry?" Orochimaru said. "I'm not sorry! I'm only sorry I got caught! Seven years of research – ruined. Thousands of subjects, thousands of annotations – gone. Do you know how hard I had to work for…"

"For what, Orochimaru. For _what." _Sarutobi gestured to the room holding the bodies of dead Hyuuga. "What could possibly justify that?"

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it obvious?" he smiled. "Immortality!"

As Naoki watched, the Third aged a decade. "Immortality… All this for that foolish dream?" the old teacher studied his student. "It seems I've misjudged you. I always thought you were the smart one. I guess now we get to see which one of us was the bigger fool. Me, for believing in you, or you, for pursuing such a useless and pathetic dream!"

The snake-sannin hissed, enraged. He coiled and sprang, hands making seals so quickly the air between arms became charged. Sarutobi dashed forward, catching one of Orochimaru's hands in his. "That's not going to work."

Naoki blinked. His eyes opened to see Orochimaru fly through the ceiling with stream of hot fire tearing through him. The blond quickly shunshun'd to the above ground. He arrived in time to see Sarutobi propelling his student to the ground in a flying locus. Orochimaru kwarmi'd, but was trapped in a web of steel. It was a trap. Sarutobi stood over his student, a kunai raised high, the newly revealed moon shining a beam to highlight the razor of the blade. The teacher paused. "Look at you, Orochimaru. You're supposed to be the strongest of the strong, one of the sannin, the mighty nins. But you kneel here humbled, humiliated. At my – your teacher, the one you were supposed to have surpassed – _my_ mercy. What does that teach you?"

The old man sighed, letting the kunai fall to his side. "I'll give you one more chance. Repent, swear an oath to never raise a kunai, or sword, or jutsu, or hand against one of your allies, and I'll make sure this doesn't haunt you for the rest of your life." Orochimaru stared at the Hokage.

"You're such a fool," he said.

Sarutobi's face fell. "I see."

Under ground, only his upper face revealed to the world, his chakra suppressed with the use of seals and tags, Naruto watched. His belly felt hot as he fought to suppress hate and malice. He knew what would happen now. He'd heard about it, read about it, fought wars because of it – even died once or twice. As the Hokage's weapon slid through the air, he sank into the ground. Naruto couldn't watch.

"Go," Sarutobi said. "this is your last chance. After today, you'll find no mercy from Konoha. And if we _ever_ meet again… I'll kill you."

Naruto sensed the hated traitor – the murderer, the bane of Konoha, the killer of the Third - disappear into the darkness. He rose up to watch his beloved Hokage let the Snake escape, and hated himself for the shame he felt.

The Sandaime fell to his knees, his head bowed, his proud back hunched. He was broken, but Naruto didn't stick around to notice. He wasn't even there when a distraught Jiraiya and angry Tsunade skidded into the field.

There was a snake to catch, and he had friends to avenge. He could deal with the older, stupider generation later.

---

They moved with the shadows, slipping around the beams shone down by the newly revealed moon. Neji slid from tree to tree, the familiar comfort of Hinata's chakra warm against his shoulders. He knelt, a fisted hand held parallel to his ear. Hinata stopped, alert. After a moment, Neji's fist lowered. Hinata flicked her wrist, signaling Ino that everything was fine, and crept up to Neji's side. "This is where we take out leave." She placed a cool hand on his shoulder. It felt like the hand of death. "Be careful, cousin."

It was Hinata again. "Whatever you do, Hinata-sama, don't die." His byakagun picked up her sideways glance easily. "Just… be careful." He smirked at her. "And if things get dangerous, it's perfectly okay to use the witch for a decoy, okay? It's not cowardly to run away and save yourself."

"I heard that, you son of a—"

"I know," said Hinata, speaking over Ino's curses. She bent over and brushed her lips across his cheek. "You always take care of me. Don't you dare die either." She stood and melted away, Ino trailing after her. Neji remained kneeling, his eyes watching the world around him. He smiled suddenly. "I know you're here, Tenten. I can feel you." He closed his eyes. "Welcome back to the party."

A three kilometers away, Shikamaru and Chouji stopped. Shikamaru took in the trees and knelt into the shadows that were lengthened by the fully revealed moon. "This is where we part ways."

"Aa." Chouji moved away, a short leap carrying him into the trees. He paused and called over his shoulder, "Are you sure you want to be here alone?"

Shikamaru stared up at the stars, his breath releasing in a grey cloud of condensation. Through the mist he could make out the faint outline of Asuma, Kurenai, and their little newborn son. "I'm never alone."

Slowly but surely, the Konoha survivors created a delicate net to catch Orochimaru. The plan was simple. They formed a semi-circle around Orochimaru's exit point from Konoha. The Snake nin would eventually run into one of the survivors who would sound a silent alarm, alerting the others. The ninja and his or her support would then have to stall for the necessary minutes for the rest of the ninja to arrive. They would circle him and trap the Snake nin. It was simple, elegant in design, but effective.

The ninja were staggered so a powerhouse ninja – like Kakashi, Neji, Lee, Kiba and Sakura– would be able to support a weaker, or more subtly powered nin – Chouji, Ino, Hinata, Shikamaru, Sai respectively. However, the plan depended on an equal number of "Powerhouses" and "Subtles." The plan depended on everyone being healthy. Kiba was not.

He had been left behind.

Which meant that with Naruto closing in on Orochimaru from behind, they were one piece short, leaving one "Subtle" without backup.

That subtle just happened to be Shikamaru.

The Shadow Master sighed. "This is such a _draaag_."

There was one problem with this ploy, one fatal flaw. They had to be far enough away from Konoha that the battle would avoid detection from loyal ninja. But to be so far out, they had to spread out more to ensure Orochimaru ran into at least one of them. Backup was several minutes away and in a battle with someone as strong as a Sannin, mere seconds could define the entire skirmish. _He better not head toward me._

---

Orochimaru stood facing the thickening woods, his back to his teammate. Jiraiya's desperate words evaporated off of him, like a springle of water hitting a river of lava. "You're a fool." In a whirl of jounin vest and snakes, Orochimaru bowled over his friend. He killed any remorse, killed any affection for the man who was the closest thing he'd ever have to a brother. Such ties would only get in his way. He stood over Jiraiya, studying the torn face, the shattered look, the brotherly love shown unabasedly. What little human emotion that still resided in the dark haired man stopped the killing blow, but not the near fatal injury. "You're so weak."

Jiraiya clawed at the ground. "Don't do this! Don't throw this all away! What about our team? What about the Sannin! What about Tsunade?" he dragged himself to his knees. "I can't let everything we've done, everything we've accomplished – everything we've bleed and sweat and cried for just slip away!"

His teammate snorted. "Everything _you _bleed, sweat, and cried for. Do you really think any of that mattered to _me?_ I am the genius. I am the favored student. _I_ am everything you want but never will be because you cling to those foolish, insipid ideas of village loyalty and 'Will of Fire.' Because you are _nothing_ but a dead last, unworthy of my attention. Because that's all you'll _ever_be." He smiled. It was poisonous. "I think I'll leave you alive, little Jiraiya-_kun_, so you'll always know that you're alive by my will only."

His eyes flickered up when Tsunade skidded into the clearing. "Little Tsunade. Late as ever. Someday you're actually going to arrive in time to save a teammate's life." With another cold smile, he disappeared. Tsunade took a running leap after him. She smashed a tree in her landing, but rebounded to kneel at Jiraiya's side.

"Report." She snapped a quick seal and placed her hands on his back. Her lips thinned. _Orochimaru hardly held back. Jiraiya's flooded with poison. His spines herniated in two places, and shattered in another. The chord seems fine. He's bleeding out fast though. _She looked from one teammate to the afterimage of the other. _Kuso. If I hunt Orochimaru, Jiraiya will die. But… if I don't, the son of a hog and whore will get away._ _He planned this!_

Her frown deepened. "Jiraiya, we've got to get you to a hospital. I'm the only one who can fix you, but I need proper equipment."

"W-what?" Jiraiya croaked. "No. Go after Orochi…. He has to come back."

"He's not coming back, you idiot!" Tsuande yelled. "He's lost to us, you old pervert. But I'm not gonna loose you too, you understand me?"

"Soo stubborn…" Jiraiya smiled. _As stubborn as she is beautiful._ He coughed and screamed when the motion exacerbated his spinal injury. Blood landed on Tsunade's leg. He paled a bit more. _Shi… Hemophilia. How's she gonna handle this with her newfound fear of blood?_ He blinked when Tsunade didn't even flinch. _No way? Could she have beat it in the months I was away?... _He smiled faintly. _Good for her…_

Blackness began encroaching on his vision.

_No… I can't die here…_

"Tsunade…"

"I know. I'll get us out of this. I swear."

---

Naruto let out a deep, satisfied rumble. The snake was right on course. He fell back a few feet – out of smelling range – and bit his thumb. He smeared some blood on the small, yen sized seal on his arm. He knew that at that moment every one of his friends was receiving the same message – Mission going according to the plan. Intercept soon.

Fourteen miles away, Kiba touched the seal with a dark scowl. _I should be out there_. _I should be at my post defending my friends. _He gently fingered the still tender wound that sliced him from shoulder to hip. His eyes panned to Akamaru, who glared at him, as he knew the boy's thoughts. Kiba buried his fingers deep into the dog's fur and pressed his forehead to Akamaru's. The dog's eyes, now level with the boy's, pleaded for the Inuzuka not to do anything foolish.

Kiba's eyes dropped and he leaned forward to whisper, "I'm sorry boy. But I can't leave my friends out there to die." He leaned back and walked up to Minato. "Yo – Minato-san. Erm, I think I'm gonna go check on how the Babysitting-catching thing is going." He ignored Akamaru's frantic whining and rubbed a sheepish hand across the back of his head. "It's just, Tsuki's out there, and Shinsei's here… soooo…. Yeah." He turned around. "Shinsei! You're in charge!"

"Whaaa?" The boy asked.

"Great! Well, ifthat'sallthenbye!" Kiba yelled over his shoulder. He quickly disappeared into the shadows, leaving the bemused ninja behind. _I'm coming Shikamaru!_

---

Shikamaru shuddered as the coordinates detailing Orochimaru's heading melted into existence as thick black lines on his forearm. The trajectory was perfect for the plan, but sucked for the Nara. Of the ten different positions, did the stupid snake have to be headed directly for _him?_Nara mouthed curses on Orochimaru and his lineage, then added in Naruto for driving him this direction in the first place. And while he was at it, he added Kiba for getting hurt, and Kakashi for leaving him behind. Then he cursed himself for coming up with such a troublesome plan.

He pulled himself up and walked over to some deeper shadows. While surprise generally worked in a ninja's favor, against an enemy like Orochimaru it would be better to give him a pause. An unknown nin standing in the shadows waiting for him would cause the Sannin to stop for at least a split second, instead of dashing through. That split second would have to do. Unfortunately, shadows didn't move at the speed of light.

Nara shifted his weight slightly, and formed the seals required. And he waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And then waited some more.

He was beginning to get annoyed. Sure, he didn't want to die anytime soon, which was a real possibility with him facing down _Orochimaru _without backup, but the anticipation was killer. And his jutsu was draining his chakra. And he was bored. And he had to stay _standing_. His scowl deepened. _I thought this guy was supposed to be fast!_ _Can't he just get here already?_

It was as if Orochimaru had been summoned by his thoughts. The taller man paused for a split second to process the man standing in the shadows, then lurched forward to attack. His feet were snagged by the shadows. _A Nara!! _Orochimaru licked his lips. _What's a Nara doing way out here?_

Shikamaru felt sweat slide down the back of his neck. It was too dangerous for Shikamaru to grab the Sannin in his shadow bind. The stronger nin would overpower him, and the jutsu would reverse and control Shikamaru instead. However, he could trip him up, stab him, and just make a general nuisance of himself. He made a cut through the seal on his arm. The others would know he was engaging the enemy. Lee and Hinata were seven minutes away. Sakura and Sai were twelve. Neji and Ino a good twenty. Kakashi and Chouji… well that didn't matter. If they were the first to arrive, the battle would already be over. And all that would be left to save were Shikamaru's pieces.

Orochimaru sprang at the Nara. Shikamaru dodged, sending a spike of darkness straight to the Sannin's heart. Predictably, he dodged – straight into kunai. The projectile weapon sank into his shoulder joint, rendering the arm – while not _completely_useless – very painful to use and control. The Nara knew that if Orochimaru hadn't already been so exhausted from his fight with Sarutobi Hiruzen, it would have been a futile move, but determined not to let his advantage slip away, launched a series of small attacks. He threw kunai at the Sannin, who predictably dodged, but was deftly herded into the middle of the trees. Attached to the kunai were small wires, each razor sharp. The result was a wire cage. It would keep the Sannin in, but it would also keep his teammates _out_ if he wasn't careful. It also had the added effect of spreading nearly invisible shadows connecting to all the shadows in the surrounding area.

The snake understood this as well, and his eyes narrowed. He snapped a few seals and let out a steady stream of fire. Shikamaru jumped backward, and his teeth gritted when the fire formed into a dragon complete with snapping jaws. The tail of the dragon melted the wires even his jaw cracked a few spare inches from Shikamaru's rib cage. As the Nara dodged and evaded, ducked and darted, Orochimaru flashed through a summoning seal. Within moments, the ground was covered with snakes, hissing and cursing, thirsty for blood and willing to be sic'd on the available, unwilling target.

Shikamaru couldn't set foot on the ground, or else the snakes would surround him, hold him, and poison him. However, the Nara gathered a key piece of Intel that Orochimaru hadn't willingly given away. Orochimaru's normal M.O. was to summon a large enough snake to swallow his enemy, ending the problem once and for all. That he summoned twenty 'small" ones meant his fights with Sarutobi, and if history held, Jiraiya, had worn him out. Only five minutes had passed, meaning it was another seven till reinforcements arrived. This was going to be tricky. He cracked his neck.

Tricky he could do.

---

Naruto skidded around a tree, used the momentum to hurl himself up and through the branches of the next tree, grabbed an overhead branch to swing himself up to a higher tree. Orochimaru's chakra grated on his skin, but the real reason for his hurry was the sporadic bursts of Shikamaru's strange, transient chakra. Kiba was wounded, and the chances were that Kakashi had left him behind. If Shikamaru was the same he was during the war, he would have gone without backup to make sure someone else was covered. Naruto's jaw clenched. He was almost there…

Almost…

Almost…

Shikamaru's chakra flared, like a bust of shadow, then faded. _No!_The blond skidded into the clearing, flipped over the dozen snakes that snapped up at him and caught his friend in mid fall. Shikamaru coughed, blood trickling down his chin. "Oi, Naruto," he muttered. "Just in time." The Nara's entire right side resembled cooked meat.

Naruto's eyes were fixed on Orochimaru, rage was nearly palpable. "Can you stand?"

"Barely, and my chakra's almost gone."

"Got a soldier pill?"

"Chakra's too low."

"Well, that's mighty stupid of you." Naruto said. He smiled with cheerfulness he didn't feel. _God… Shimakaru's hurt bad_.

"Tch…" Shikamaru rolled his eyes. He focused on the enemy. "I can snag his legs but you'll only have one shot."

"Why? Because you'll be dead? No thanks. Who's the closest reinforcement?"

"Lee and Hinata – four minutes away by now, if we're lucky." The Nara caught Naruto's sleeve. "Be careful. It's almost like he's… more cunning than before. I think the madness hasn't rotten his brain yet. He doesn't know as many techniques, but he's almost stronger for it."

Naruto's smile was feral. "I see." He held his hand out in front of him. "Stay back, Shika, I don't want you caught in this."

The Nara took one look at the growing ball of chakra in the blond's palm and sprang to another branch. He cringed when his foot slipped. _Not having chakra is… very troublesome._

Naruto grinned at the Sannin. "Oi! Orochi-teme! Why don't you dodge from _this_!" The Shukiken Rasingan span through the air, the circle pulling in more air with every inch it crossed, extending the blades. Orochimaru sprang above it, but the law of gravity worked in Naruto's favor, dragging Orochimaru down towards the edge of the blades. At the last second, Orochimaru twisted, slid between two blades of air and chakra, and remained kneeling while the terrible jutsu finished flying over him. Then he was sliding forward, his tongue grabbing a tree branch to pull him up and overhead, a kunai in either hand. Naruto grinned and leaped out to meet him.

A shower of golden sparks, the harsh ring of metal against metal, and they sprang away, vivid blurs in the night. Then they met again with another shower of sparks, and another as they hurled to the ground below. Naruto flinched when a snake nearly snagged his heal – he'd forgotten about them. He launched a few projectiles, nailing the cobra under him, and clearing a small space to move. His distraction cost him since Orochimaru took advantage of his distraction to slice a gash from his shoulder to upper back. The blond yowled, sharp claws lashing out. They tore at the Sannin's face, the bloody wounds filling Naruto with satisfaction – the slashes wouldn't be more than an inconvenience, causing blood to flow into Orochimaru's eyes, but battles were won by inconvenience piled on inconvenience. Then steel met steel again, but this time, the snake nin was being attacked at three sides.

_Kake Bunshin?_ Orochimaru sprang up and away, landing in the shadows that had ceased to be his enemy now that the mysterious Nara was slumped on a branch a hundred feet away. One kage bunshin set to eliminate the reptinian enemies that slithered across the forest floor, while the other two sprang after the Sannin. "Hey!" they chorused. "No running away! We're just getting started."

Orochimaru hissed. He swung, using the branch as a handlebar and nailed one of the Naruto's in the ribs. There was a sharp crack and an explosion of smoke as the partner exploded into a cloud of smoke. Orochimaru smirked. "You really think I can't tell the difference between a kage bunshin and an original?" The boy glared at him from where he knelt, a hand pressed against his broken ribs. Orochimaru sprang down to land in front of him. "You're twenty years too early to try that trick with me, boy."

Naruto smirked. "Oh, in that case, I'm doing just _fine_." He swung a hay maker into the small pocket between the traitor's ribs – the solar plexus – guaranteed to cause shortness of breath and extreme pain. Orochimaru gasped for air, curling in for a moment. Naruto jerked to his feet. "You can't give up yet, you son of a whore. Like I said, we're just getting started."

---

There was a sick urgency in the Konoha nin now. The plan was working, but the delay in getting to the battle hurt. Shikamaru would stall the Snake for as long as possible, but he wasn't a direct contact to contact fighter. He worked better with a partner to distract the enemy. He was a string puller, a strategist, a good fighter and powerful in his own might, but he wasn't Sannin level. Not in chakra and techniques at least. Sure, he could take down the big bad guys, out think any opponent, and adapt his plans the way others breathed, but he just didn't have the endurance required to fight someone like Orochimaru.

Their hopes rested on him getting reinforcements – back up. Someone he could use. Someone he could direct from the shadows.

Hinata and Lee landed next to the clearing, as close as they could get to the fight with most of the trees knocked over or cut down. The duel was raging fiercely. Naruto was grinning, but his clothes were tatters, the greens and browns indistinguishable from the dark splotches of blood even in the bright moonlight. The silky skin shown under the tattered shirt and pants was covered in blood, the only remains of formally brutal wounds. Orochimaru, on the other hand, looked scorched. He was panting faintly, a wild look etched through his eyes. His hair was singed, his jounin vest long since blown away. Hinata tore the bandage away from her eyes and focused on the far off trees. _There! _She bound onto one of the few trees still upright and glided towards the branch where Shikamaru perched.

Lee gave a passing glance at the terrain, noting the holes and roots that would be especially detrimental to a taijutsu expert and launched himself at the Sannin's unprotected back. _This is one benefit to having no chakra. Your enemies, so used to looking for it, never feel you coming!_His kick tore through the Sannin, shattering already bruised or cracked bones, bruising and even rupturing hidden organs. Orochimaru howled, pain and anger hazing his vision.

Five meters away, Hinata landed next to the Nara. She took stock of the wounds and gaped. "Shikamaru-kun…"

"Chakra exhaustion, minor injuries, you join the fight." Shikamaru cut her off. "Tell Naruto to use Kage Bunshin Rasengan from three sides. Lee should fall from above. He'll dodge, but if you herd him into some shadows close to me, I have enough chakra built up now to hold him for a few seconds." He glared at her. "If you hesitate even a second when closing his pathways, I'll die." Her hand reached towards the burn but he slapped it away. "No time for that now, idiot. Save your chakra, this is Orochimaru we're fighting with, remember? I'll survive."

Hinata trembled. "H-hai."

She jumped down. Her landing was soft, like a cat, and she quickly laid down on her belly. She spread her fingers into the ground and gently, arduously, guided chakra strings through the dirt to the men fighting. The message blipped across the lines, flares and pulses transmitting the message when her chakra strings were finally trod on by one of her teammates.

Naruto switched methods instantly. He was a deception wrapped in a distraction now. His kage bunshin burst into existence around the sannin, every other one holding a ball of circling chakra. Three sets rushed forward, trapping Orochimaru from front back and left. His only option was to leap upwards or dart to the right. Lee ran up a tree and used the momentum to fling himself over head, a powerful leg outstretched in a drop kick.

One way out.

Orochimaru analyzed the trap and smirked. Did they really think him that naïve? Instead of zipping to the right he burrowed into the ground. The Narutos jerked, pulling back so as not to catch Lee, whose leg slpit the ground asunder. Hinata's lips tightened. The failure… annoyed her. Her eyes pierced the ground. They widened. "Below you _Naruto!!!"_

Even as her lips had formed the first word, Orochimaru tunneled underneath the original Naruto's feet and as Hinata screamed her kage's name in horror, burst from the ground, a long narrow spike of earth impaling the blond from below, up through his torso and out from his shoulder. Naruto's eyes flew open wide. He met Lee's shocked gaze, a bitter smile releasing blood down his chin. _Well… this is a crappy way to die._

Blue eyes faded, fluttered twice, and closed.

Hinata screamed.

Horror. Outrage. Fear. Guilt. They were all pent up in the ear splitting screech. Her byakagun eyes saw all like they always did. They saw the life slowly drain from Naruto's body, saw his chakra fade outwards, the way it only did in death. She saw the rise of the soul, the mysterious part of humanity that not even the Byakagun could pinpoint until the final moment.

_No. No. Haven't we lost enough? Haven't _I _lost enough? Naruto! N-Naruto, you can't… no. No, no, nonononono, "NO_! Naruto_!"_

---

Hinata loved Naruto. As a child, fearful and timid, without friends or family for comfort, she had admired him from the shadows. It wouldn't be inaccurate to say that Hinata was the first one to see Naruto's full potential. She was the first to spot the determination, the hope, the love, the pure forgiveness and goodness that resided in the boy. She watched the first time Naruto smiled in the face of hate – hate from the shinobi, hate from the civilians, hate from parents and teachers and storekeepers and… and… and everyone. The first time Naruto forgave irrational, unexplained hate she was _there._

He was her inspiration. He showed her how to be brave. Naruto taught her strength, though she didn't practice the teachings until she was twelve years old and faced with a cold, cruel cousin who spewed hateful words across the chuunin exam floor. Naruto taught her devotion. He taught her loyalty. He taught her that family didn't have to share the same blood, same kakai genkai, or even the same name.

Everyone had been astonished at the pure devotion and dedication of time, energy and emotion Naruto had poured into retrieving Sasuke. After all – the boy had only been his friend for a few short months. Hinata knew that they'd been something much more for much longer than that. She could have told the confused people that Sasuke and Naruto were rivals since they were nine. She could have told the village that Naruto and Sasuke were more than friends – they were brothers, and had been for as long as she cared to remember. She knew with unwavering faith that Naruto would never give up on Sasuke, because Naruto wouldn't, couldn't – and in her heart of hearts – _shouldn't_ give up.

As a child she had loved him as a distant idol, as a god, set apart from Hyuuga Hinata, lowly mortal by a mile high pedestal. She worshiped him. But like all idols, that Naruto had just been glimpse of the true boy, obscured by the forced distance.

When she became a teenager she finally got to _know_him. She sat with him when he cried for one of the few times in his life because he didn't know if he'd ever find Sasuke. She timidly asked questions and was astonished at the blunt, _human_ responses showing fear, hate, even despair. And she loved him as a man. As a weak, yet stronger for it man. She'd taken off the pedestal and finally realized she'd put him so high the true boy couldn't _breathe_, the air was so thin. So she became his friend, confided in him, and listened when he confided in her.

Finally, she loved him as a leader. As the Hokage she knew he could have been, as the excellent jounin she knew him as, and as the caravan leader he proved to be. She loved him for being kind with his power, for being just, for being forgiving. She loved him for being devoted to her and her companions - his subordinates.

How deep and how platonic her love was, she never told anyone. Hinata herself didn't know if she loved him as a brother, a friend, or a subordinate, or even as hopeful but hopeless lover.

She only knew she loved him.

…And that Snake, that son of a pig banging, horse riding, demon faced whore had just killed him.

Her scream was still echoing off of the trees, beginning the rebound from trunk to trunk to meet Sakura's horrified ears when Hinata sprang forward. Unlike the Uchiha's burning fury, Hyuuga wrath was cold, calculating.

Precise.

She glided under the snakes that flew from Orochimaru's sleeves, leaped above his arm, and brushed a single finger along his chest. The chakra spike tore into his lungs, through his heart to cut open the arteries. She landed behind him in a crouch, her back to Orochimaru, but her eyes still on him. He lurched spitting out blood, but didn't waver. That was good. It was as she planned.

She would kill him slowly.

She sprang backward in a graceful arch that had her curving under, allowing her to land on his back in crouch. Ten fingers sent ten strings of chakra though his body, strings that lingered even when she was flung away. She pulled those strings with her, smiling darkly as they tightened around the spleen, gall bladder, heart and intestines. She tightened them, and laughed when the Sannin screeched in pain. Her target was confused and unable to identify the source of his misery.

Hinata wasn't a powerhouse like Neji, who could circle again and again like a demented ballerina in a silver ball. She couldn't rupture the entire insides of a body with a single touch. She preferred healing, preferred repairing ruptured flesh rather than bursting and ripping it apart. But she could do this. She could make cuts and slices and small wounds and bruises that built up until they killed.

Death by Papercut.

The slowest and most painful way to die.

Lee helped her, attacking with five gates open, tears trickling down a red and strained face. The Sannin paid attention to the obvious threat and missed the gentle touch of fingers that slit his ligaments, or the brush of a fingernail that shattered his joints. He swatted at her as one would a fly, but she was too small, too slick, too easy for Lee to hide behind his strong, fast body. Shikamaru had rejoined the battle. The Nara couldn't move fast, but his left arm was just fine for flinging explosive notes any place he didn't want the Sannin to be – which was anywhere inaccessible to Hinata. Without them, she would have been the sole focus of Orochimaru's attention, and far, far too easy to kill.

But she wasn't alone.

Hinata herniated several disks, and was moving her way up to the brain. If she had her way, she'd cripple him, force him to live out his days trapped in a useless body. But knowing him, he'd just find a way to transfer consciousness, and that son of a dog and a – no time for curses, she rebuked herself, ducking into the earth to escape a roaring fire. She stuffed her worries for Shikamaru and Lee into a tiny box. _Just take him down!_

Sakura arrived just as Hinata finally severed the Sannin's chakra from his brain, dispersing the chakra field that surrounded – protected, shielded – all human brains. Her next touch fried the frontal lobe, essentially trapping Orochimaru in his own body.

Hinata's hands were bloodless, no sign of the massacre on her bone white fingers. Blazing eyes met Sakura's frozen gaze, but the pink haired girl was staring beyond her, to the body still impaled on a spike of rock. She only noticed that her teeth were clamped shut when her jaw began hurting… _Naruto…_The Hyuuga refused to look behind her.

Sakura stumbled toward the body, falling to her knees several feet away. _Naruto, you fool. You stupid, brave, senseless, unlucky fool._

"The finishing blow is for you." Hinata said.

Sakura trembled.

"This isn't fair," she whispered. "He was supposed to be Naruto's kill."

Hinata closed her eyes. Behind her, she heard Lee's constraint finally give away as he fell face down, deep wracking sobs shaking his whole body. Shikamaru watched soberly, guilt digging in its roots – _if I'd only trained more. If I'd only had a little more chakra. If I'd only been able to figure out a different plan._

"This isn't_ fair!"_Sakura said louder. "We won. It's over. He can't die now… He can't!" Her arms gave way and she crumpled over her knees, her face pressed into the ground.

Sai knelt beside the pink haired woman, his hand brushing her shoulder. She didn't respond, so Sai nodded curtly and stood, pulling his blade from the sheath on his back. He walked forward and looked into the Snake's eyes. His mouth set as he swung the sword up, twirled it above his head like a fan, and slashed down, severing Orochimaru's head from his body. The head rolled away as Chouji and Ino finally landed. "Eh, the battle's over?" Ino exclaimed. "Why so somber…"

"Ino." Shikamaru said quietly. The girl glanced over at him with a careless, lazy gaze. Her eyes widened and she stumbled into Chouji.

"Wha—no." Ino shook her head. "We've wandered into genjutsu. I'll have us out in a second, I'll…" Chouji grabbed her shoulder. "Kai!" The girl sent out a wave of chakra. She bit her lip and tried again. "Kai." Once again, it was futile. Now tears swelled in the blond's eyes. "No, no. It… it can't be. Kai! Kai! Kai!"

Chouji's large hands grabbed hers. "Ino… he's gone. He's… he's gone."

Ino's eyes met Sakura's from across the battlefield. Haruno's face was twisted, ugly and deformed from trying to hold back tears and screams. "He's gone," she choked.

_He's really gone..._

---

TBC...

Wow... I think I just killed Naruto.

...OO...

Umm... Don't kill me! *hides behind computer* If you kill me, you won't find out how it ends!

Seriously, I have an outline, and I AM following it. Everything will work out - Trust Me! I already started chapter 17 and I'll try to have it up soon (shifts eyes). I anticipate some questions with this chapter, like why on earth was Shikamaru beaten in only ten minutes? After Hidan, what's with that! And why doesn't Naruto have Sage Mode? And what the _heck_is with Sarutobi? How come he's so strong? And why did the battles happen so fast?

Well... I did consider adapting to the newest Manga chapters (and isn't Sakura just plain _awesome_in chapter 474?) but I decided that the beginning was sufficiently AU that adding those adaptions would actually corrupt my basic story idea. This story was formed off of the idea (that was later confirmed, by the way) that there was no way Sasuke could eternally subdue Orochimaru inside his body. Orochimaru took control, and because of this, became rather all poweful, distroyed Akatsuki - or at least made them a nil concern. What happened to Itachi and Madara and Pein in that universe hasn't yet been fleshed out (I have a vauge idea of how I want it to go, but its still up to adaption). Because of this, Naruto never learned certain key things, like the Uchiha Clan's betrayal, or Sage Mode. And, while Shikamaru was able to subdue Hidan, I personally don't see him as a powerhouse. The thing that makes Shikamaru so terrifing isn't a large chakra reserve or a lot of techniques but the way he _uses_them. But, he does quite literally work from the shadows, and without someone there to distract Orochimaru he's... how shall we say it... shark bait.

Also, one reason the fights seemed to go so fast is because in actual battle - not Anime battles, which drag on for _hours -_even the strongest and most skilled person can be killed by a small mistake. The power of the battle shifts all teh time, and those shifts can happen in an instant. Most one on one fights start and end within five to ten minutes (according to my dad (who used to get into fist fights all the time) and several books I read on the subject). Battles are won not just by who's stronger, but by who takes advantage of the most mistakes.

Sarutobi's power and easy defeat of Orochimaru is cannon. Sarutobi could have squashed Orochimaru like a bug, but because he loved his student, he let him live. Orochimaru struck and killed his teacher years later, when Sarutobi's chakra was nearly gone with old age and he couldn't fight as well. I was actually kind of shocked when my research showed me just _how_powerful Sarutobi was in his youth. Heh.

One reason Orochimaru is harder yet easier to defeat this time around is because he's not completely crazy yet, and his stupid body switching jutsu hasn't taken a toll on him yet. He's thinking clearer and using his fewer techniques better.

I do have some issues with this chapter, and it has been marked down as one to redo when I rewrite the story, but for now, I ask you to trust me. I know what I'm doing, and it _will _work out. I promise! Oh, and for the reviewer who was mad at me for not including Tenzou *wink* - I have delivered as promised.

And in case I get swamped with school again and can't post before New Years: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

God bless,

(and please review if you feel like it)


	17. Aftermath

_Well, I bet this was a surprise. It's actually been updated._

_This chapter was the dividing point between my two outlines. I had an outline with Naruto staying dead and an outline with him returning to life through the Deus Ex Machina ways (which, if you don't understand, look it up on google because it's actually pretty intersting). Ahem. Anyway, your reviews kept swaying me to one side or the other (it's amazing how everyone suspecting you'll revive Naruto makes you want to kill him), but since I couldn't decide, it ended on a coin toss that landed on heads. And then another coin toss that landed on tails. And then another that landed on tails. But finally I bit the bullet and decided that whatever it landed on this time would be the Outline I used. It landed on tails, so tails is what you get. :)_

_Thank you for everyone who reviewed, PM'd me and nagged me until I felt guilty to write this chapter in the wee hours of the day, since I had absolutely no time otherwise. If I flunk out of school, I hope you're happy :). I managed to answer a lot of your reviews, but real life caught up with me, and it was all I could do to write this chapter, so if you reviewed and I did NOT answer you, I offer you my heart felt appology. _

_This chapter is Unbeta'd and so the mistakes are all mine. Once again, any constructive criticism given will be taken in account in the next chapter, and then again during the rewrite once Holding Destiny is done. Thank you for your patience and enjoy!_

The Aftermath

They pulled him off the stone and laid him out across the field from Orochimaru. Sakura knelt beside him, her hands tangled in the tattered clothing that remained. Battle hadn't left a scratch on him except for the gaping hole that started below his hip and ended at his colar bone. She gasped when she realized a seperate branch of the rock had pierced his brain. Sai stood foot behind her, but the rest of the survivors milled around uncomfortably at the edge of the clearing. Ino was sobbing, snot and tears sliding off her chin to drop on Shikamaru's face as she healed his side. The Nara counted the seconds between each drip and ignored growing ball of despair that weighed down his belly.

Above him, Ino gasped for a breath. She gagged on a sob and blinked rapidly to clear her eyes. Shika leaned his head back against her lap and closed his eyes.

_What are we going to do… So much depended on the brat._ He tried to swallow the growing lump in his throat, tried to force it down to join the cold stone in his stomach, but gave up when the first tears escaped his burning eyelids. Chouji looked from his two teammates to where Lee was laying face down in the scorched earth. Lee was making no attempt to hide his grief, his sobs resonating deep in his chest to become large wails.

Chouji turned to the trio huddled around the stiffening body. This… this was bad.

Sakura fiddled with the five edged stone that rested in the hollow of Naruto's throat. "She said this would kill him someday." Sai tilted his head. Sakura turned to look at him over her shoulder. "Tsunade." She explained.

Her lower lip trembled. Sai extended a hand to touch her shoulder. He paused. He might have been part of "Team Kakashi", but this was a member of "Team Seven" mourning her last cellmate. Not only that, she was mourning the loss of the last person who understood Sasuke, who had shed blood, sweat and tears for Sasuke. He wasn't part of this. Even Kakashi wasn't be part of this.

His hand fell back to his side.

Sakura gently probed at the exit hole under Naruto's collar bone, checking the damage. It was possible, if his chakra system wasn't punctured, that Kyuubi could work one more miracle. _Just one. That's all I ask. Just one. Even if only for a moment, even if it's just so I can tell him we _won_. _We_ killed _him_._

But the stone had torn through Naruto's center, even tugging some of his chakra coils out of his body. He'd died so fast very little blood had leaked from the wounds. There was no remnant of Kyuubi's chakra in Naruto. There was no remnant of _Naruto_. All that she was left with was his shell. His blond, semi-smiling but un-peaceful shell. He died without knowing his job was done. Sakura's head tipped down over his body. _Rule 25, a Shinobi cannot have emotions. _

_How I wish that were possible. _

She would never receive his warm, spontaneous hugs again. Never reminisce on better, brighter days. Never gobble down bowls of steaming hot ramen, guilt free because a certain someone ate at least _three_ times as much as she did. Never yell and take out her anger on the one person who could actually survive it. She'd lost the last person who could read her thoughts at a glance or feel her emotions with the brush of hand. She lost her dearest friend.

_Naruto. _

…_Hokage-sama…_

Green eyes snapped shut.

_Forgive me..._

---

Desperation practically poured off the boy, his fear a bitter taste in the air, so thick if felt like Minato was breathing through sludge. Kiba was so focused on reaching his destination quickly he didn't sense the jounin tailing him, didn't sense the subtle brush of chakra as Minato slid in and out of the tree trunks behind him. Minato tugged his hand out of the trunk and shook off the residual chill. His other hand was already placing a seal on the tree in front of him, an escape route if... well, if something went bad.

Minato was… curious. And suspicious. But mostly curious. As a potential uncle to the caravan leader and captain of a team which had formed strong bonds to various members of the caravan, he had quickly come to regard himself as an expert on dealings with the group. He knew by now that the blond woman "Ino" rubbed her thumbs against the middle finger nail until raw when lying, Tai Lee bit his lip until it bled and furrowed his eyebrows when doing anything he considered "disgraceful," which included lying, deceiving of any kind, unsportsmanlike behavior, disrespect to women, and in general, all things that a ninja would value.

He knew their tells, their habits, their colloquialisms, their weird turn of phrases.

Minato even got a look at their "battle faces" a few short days ago.

However, the bloodlust and anticipation that had filled the path when Katashi had appeared had put Minato to shame. Such killing intent was rare. Even on the battle field such a flood of _ki_ was unheard of. On the battle field he fought strangers, countless faceless strangers who gave form to a distant enemy. He had no grudge against them, just their goal to wipe out his home and everyone he loved. As far as he knew, they hadn't killed someone he loved, they hadn't hurt Kushina, Kakashi, Obito or Rin.

Of course, every ninja eventually faced an enemy who had killed a friend or loved one, but usually those battles were quick and decisive, leaving little time for the emotional wounds to fester.

The killing intent that had flooded the road indicated premeditated, festered, rotting desire for murder. The caravan was on a mission that had been carefully planned and anticipated, and he wanted to know what it was. He knew, somehow, that the answers for his many, many questions were somehow linked to this sudden operation.

He wasn't about to let this opportunity slip away.

---

Sakura pushed herself to her feet and brushed the last few tears from her cheek. She flicked off the droplets from her fingers and quickly signed - _"Hinata, I need to speak with you. Privately."_ Hinata face didn't change. Sakura motioned towards the surrounding woods with a tilt of her head and the Hyuuga Heiress signaled her assent. They made their way into the woods, and when Sakura was sure the chakra wouldn't be detected, she set up a sound barrier. "Listen, I have an idea."

"For what?"

"To bring Naruto back." Sakura said calmly. "But I'm gonna need your help."

Hinata's head rose. "You even have to ask? What do I need to do?"

Sakura studied her friend, searching for something. Hinata held still until, seemingly satisfied, Sakura lowered herself to the ground. "Sit, this is gonna take a few minutes, and you'll need all the strength you can get." Hinata sank to her knees. "Do you remember the mission to Suna, back when we were fifteen? The Kazekage – Gaara – had been captured by Akatsuki."

"Yes, I remember." Hinata tilted her head to the side, thinking. "You rescued him before the procedure was complete, with minimal casualties. Gaara lost the Ichibii, but you removed him from the Statue before his life could be claimed. It was considered a great victory."

Sakura nodded. "That's the official report, yes. The Kazekage and Hokage agreed that to reveal the truth would be dangerous. It was classified as a S-Class Secret."

Hinata's eyebrow arched. "That means that no records were made, and that everyone involved had a binding placed on them. It's the same level as the Kyuubi!"

"Exactly. Revealing this condemns me to hell, for more reasons than one." Sakura leaned forward. "Are you willing to descend to hell with me, Hinata?"

"For Naruto?" Hinata looked down at her clenched fists. "Maybe. But without Naruto I'm not sure the Caravan could survive what has to happen next. So, yes." She looked up. "I want Neji and Kiba to live."

"Very well." Sakura straightened. "We were too late, Hinata. On the mission to Suna – we were too late. When we arrived at the cave, the Kazekage was already dead. He had been dead for two and and a half hours at least."

Hinata stared. "That's impossible. I saw him at the Battle of Yom – he was certainly no corpse! His chakra systems were fully functional."

"Yes. Yes, they were. Do you remember the single casualty noted on the official mission file? The Suna one."

"Eh?" Hinata closed her eyes. "Oh, some Suna elder died, didn't she? Chi-something, wasn't it? She died from a combination of chakra exhaustion and a sudden onset of age, which crippled her chakra system and caused a fatal heart attack."

" Chiyo-baa-sama. A master puppeteer who had been experimenting with transferring life to puppets with several other experts in the field. The experiments were cancelled because when they brought the puppets to life the transferee inevitably died. Chiyo died from transferring her life force to Gaara, reviving him hours after his death. She died bringing him back to life."

Hinata stared at her, understanding lighting pale eyes. "You want to to it. You want to exchange your life for Naruto's."

"Is that bad?" Sakura asked, smiling bitterly.

"You're insane. But you're not wrong. " Hinata glanced at her. "Why me? Why aren't you having this conversation with Ino? She of all people deserves to hear you plotting suicide. "

Sakura eyes drained of warmth and she smiled apologetically. "Because I'm selfish," she shrugged. "I want Ino to live. No offense, Hinata, but no matter how close the two of us get, Ino will always be my precious first friend."

The Hyuuga stared at her for a moment as her brain turned over. Hinata closed her eyes and tilted her head back. "You'll die re-attaching his soul. With his current injuries he'll just die again so you need me to heal him, since by that time it'll be too late for you to do anything. However, the chakra required for healing the massive damage sustained…" She leaned forward till her forehead touched her knees. "I'll die." The clearing was silent. "You don't want Ino involved because even though the two of us have greater chances - not large changes, but greater ones - to heal Naruto and live, we might both be killed. You'd rather lose just Naruto than Naruto and Ino."

Sakura didn't deny it.

"You're a heartless brute when you want to be, Haruno-san."

Hinata wrapped her hands around the back of her head and was silent for a long time.

Sakura shifted, hyper aware of every second that ticked away. Kakashi would arrive with Neji at any moment and the two of them would stop this plan before it could even start. If Hinata wasn't going to help her, she would be forced to take someone hostage. Her mind filtered through the members of the group in the new clearing – who did Hinata care for enough to die for even if it meant leaving Kiba alone.

Her mind came up blank. There was no one who Hinata loved more than her uncouth teammate. A chill settled in the pit of Sakura's stomach. She couldn't do it alone!

"Naruto will never forgive us for this, you know."It took Sakura a second to register the voice. She looked up to see Hinata watching her. The younger woman's face was cold.

"You've agreed then?"

"He will hate us, and curse us, and beat our memory into a wound in his heart." Hinata continued as if Sakura hadn't spoken. It was as if she was determined to tear Sakura apart. "He'll never forgive you, Sakura, or himself. He'll live with the guilt and grief until it bends him over like an old man, until he's spent from the suffering and shame. He'll—"

"I _know_, alright!" Sakura twisted away. "But he'll be alive to feel the grief, _alive_ to feel the pain. He'll be alive to hate me! It's okay! It's okay if you hate me, if Naruto hates me, if everyone hates me! It's fine as long as Naruto lives! And Naruto… you _know_ him. He'll find a way! He has to."

It was a broken whisper but Hinata spared her no mercy. "And what about _my_ precious people, eh Sakura? What about Neji? I'm the _one_ thing he has to hold on to. How do I know he won't commit suicide over this? And Kiba… that boy is still suffering from Shino's death! I'll lay down my life in an instant for anyone, but they'll… I can't do that to them. They'll see it as suicide! What if they—"

"They won't. Because…B-Because Naruto will be there to stop it."

"Do you know what you're asking me to do?"

"Yes."

The silence was suffocating but neither women made an effort to break it. Hinata stared at Sakura's bowed head. The Hyuuga finally sighed.

"I needed to know. To know if you really knew what you're doing – if this is the last thing I do, I wanted to make sure you could do your part. If Naruto dies, everything we've worked for goes to waste. The future we're fighting for is worth more than my life or Neji's life, or even Kiba's."

Sakura looked at Hinata. "You might survive, okay? It's a small, one in fifty chance, but if there is some remnant of the Kyuubi… you might survive."

Hinata tilted her head. "Do you _really_ think that matters, Sakura? One in fifty chance is as good as none. I go prepaired to die."

The two kunoichi stared at eachother until Sakura looked down, relief at Hinata's implied forgiveness flooding her being.

"Thank you."

Hinata looked away. "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for _them_."

_I'm doing this for him._

---

Sakura approached Ino from behind, her tred soft and careful. Shikamaru stared at her, puzzled. His eyes narrowed but she didn't give him time to call out. She grabbed Ino in a choke hold. "Sorry Ino," said Sakura as the blond struggled, hissing and clawing at her friend's arms. "But I can't have you follow me." Ino tilted her head to stare at her friend, eyes wide in panic.

Sakura loosened her hold long enough to send a spike of chakra into the girl's skull. Ino slumped against her. "Ino!" Shikamaru caught the girl as she slid to the ground . "What are you _doing_?" he snarled at the pink-haired girl. His hand slid down to his weapons pouch.

Sakura didn't answer and walked over to kneel by Naruto's body. Hinata stood over her like a guard as the rest of the Caravan churned around them uneasy and off balance.

Sakura placed her hands over Naruto's chest and began.

She began by pulling the chakra coils back in place. She reconnected them and tied off the loose ends so no chakra would be wasted. Then she began pumping her chakra into the coils.

It was agonizing. Searing pain arched through Sakura's frame as her soul was striped. It felt as if her soul was a stretchy cloth pulled between the nails that pinned it to her body. As she pulled her soul out of her body she could feel the world growing dimmer around her. Her sense of smell was the first to disappear. Her sense of touch narrowed down to the steady burn of chakra circling through her hands. Sound faded . Her tongue grew numb.

Her vision grayed over, black spots filled her eyes. The blackness began to encroach over her until all that she could see was Naruto's bright yellow hair that reflected her blue swirling chakra.

She was dying.

It was… strange. She was detatched, as if the reactions were from someone else's body. She could feel her body panic, her lungs struggle for air, as if that would save her, her heart pump wildly, as if her problem was a lack of blood. She knew, in a detached way, that her mouth was turning green-ish black from chakra deprivation, that her head felt as if she had a major concussion and brain damage.

The only thing that seemed real was the tiny flutter of life trembling beneath her fingers that grew stronger with every dying beat of her heart.

She felt her organs shut down and as she pulled the chakra from them and pumped it into Naruto, but she also felt his organs revive. It was working. At last heart beneath her hand resumed a timid, tired thumping.

Her numb lips worked to grin and she looked up triumphantly at Hinata. She tried to announce her success but her throat closed around the words and her mouth filled with the blood that gushed from her nose. She dimly noticed Kakashi and Neji skidding into the clearing, twin looks of horror spreading across their faces.

She gave Kakashi an asphyxiated grin as the last of her chakra trickled into Naruto's coils. With an accomplished sigh, Sakura slid to the ground. Her last sight was Naruto's bright yellow hair before the world went dark.

Hinata resumed where Sakura had let off, choking off tears for the death of her friend. She did her best to cycle Sakura's weaker chakra through Naruto's systems. The clearing was silent as she worked, the ninja's experienced eyes easily understanding the nature of the operation happening in front of them.

Behind her, Neji fell to his knees and lowered his head between his knees. Kakashi stood frozen his hollow eye taking in the damage. He was numb. They'd been delayed by a faint chakra trail two miles behind, and thinking that the Caravan might be fighting a clone instead of the real Orochimaru they had followed it.

Instead they'd found a clone that had dispersed soon after finding it. Kakashi shook himself from his dazed stupor and stumbled over to kneel at Sakura's side. His hand trembled as it hovered over her face, but he couldn't manage to close her eyes. Instead, his attention focused on the former corpse that Hinata was desperately trying to keep alive.

Hinata divided her attention between reconnecting Naruto's weak heart to the loose chakra coils and encouraging the shallow breaths that would make the chakra more potent. The shallow breaths that might prevent brain damage. She hoped, depended, _needed_ some of Kyuubi's chakra to resume the healing, but she couldn't sense any. In desperation she let loose of his lungs and dove deep inside him, her special eyes looking for any hint of the fiery chakra.

_There_! It flickered so faintly that a less desperate person would have missed it. It was fading! _No!_

Desperation made her clumsy. It slipped from her grasp, slippery and stubborn like it's host, but Hinata pursued it with determination. It was her one change to save Naruto. Her one chance to keep him alive. Determination steadied her hold and Hinata finally latched onto the single remaining string of bijuu chakra and coaxed it back into Naruto's system. When it hit the blonde's chakra coils it bloomed, spreading like fire through his system and ran like lava up to his barely attached heart. It was weak and dying and it wouldn't last, but any help would do.

Hinata raced with it, pushing to her limits as she struggled to rebuild his liver, his left lung, his kidney. She wove the intestine back from the remaining shreds and fought to remove the shards of his ribs from his liver.

Hinata was so focused on repairing Naruto's organs that she didn't notice when Kiba skidded into the clearing.

Kiba had smelled the death from miles off. It flooded his keen nose, triggering such an attack of adrenaline he covered the ground within minutes. When he landed in the clearing his teeth were barred, his eyes wide and wild. He was ready and willing for battle but faced with no enemy. Instead he found two corpses – one the worst of enemies, and the other a dear friend – and Naruto who smelled of death so thick that Kiba _knew_ what had happened, and a Hinata who's scent was becoming weaker and weaker as she pumped her energy into their Fearless Leader.

He didn't have the understanding of what Hinata was doing, so he didn't know to try and stop her.

But he wanted a fight. He needed a fight. So he turned on Neji. Neji who knew that Hinata could kill herself. Neji who was torn between loyalty to his Hokage, to _Naruto,_ and the rest of his friends and his loyalty to Hinata, his clan head, his charge. Neji who was leaking guilt. Neji who was the perfect target for a boy whose animal sense was so keen he smelled the weakness from across the clearing.

"Why didn't you protect them!"

"Why didn't I…? Why didn't… You weren't even here, you son of a–"

"—You were supposed to watch out for them!"

"How was I supposed to… You were the fool who got himself hurt in a minor skirmish. If you'd been here, maybe—"

"—I never should have trusted you to watch their back!"

Neji flinched and his eyes flickered over to where Hinata was at the end of her reserves. Ino was in an induced coma though she was clawing her way to conscienceless Neji didn't know what injuries she had sustained to require such extreme messures, but if she was messed up there was no way she would save Naruto. It came down to this:

Which would he choose - his Hokage, or Hinata.

Hinata chose that moment to look up and catch his eyes.

"I need help," she gasped. The boys flew to her side, Kiba eager, Neji wondering if this was the point where he betrayed his country for his family.

"What can I do? What do you need? How can I help? Are you okay? Hinata – you're kind of white-ish. Hey, Neji, is she okay?"

"I need you to put your hands on top of mine," Hinata said over Kiba's questions. "I'll do the work, so Kiba – don't push." She didn't know if this would work, but she wasn't going to die without a fight. With the growing stream of bijuu chakra running through Naruto's veins she hoped she wouldn't have to. If she could just push it a little more, give it a little more help it could heal _so much_ before it disappeared completely.

Just. A. Little. More.

---

Naruto gasped. His eyes flew open and he tried to jerk up. Hands reached towards him, pressing him back into the grass, ineligible voices talking around him, to him, _at_ him. Was he under water? He breathed in and realized his chest hurt. "Sa—"

"Don't talk." Hinata barked. "Kiba, give him some room. Kakashi – don't make me put you under. _Back off."_

Kiba and Neji were leaning over him from 0400 and 1200. Hinata was straddling his knees. Naruto's eyes locked on Hinata's jaw. She was tense. Her jaw only looked that distinct when she was hacked. He should be helping her. Naruto slid his hands under him and tried to get the leverage to lift himself. His hand brushed cold skin and he wondered who was on that side, since no floating head filled his vision. He turned his head and saw some stray strands of Sakura's hair. Oh. She must have worn herself out trying to help him. She'd be fine. Kyuubi did most of the—

_Kyuubi? Are you there? Come on pussy-cat. No need to sulk – I didn't even die this time!_ Naruto's eyebrows lowered. _Kyuubi?_

He moved his hand to his stomach and tried to locate the familiar burn of _youkai _in his system, but he found nothing but the comforting coolness of his own human chakra and quite a bit of Sakura and Hinata. Actually, Naruto felt a _lot_ of Sakura's chakra. Her _raw_ chakra.

Naruto's head snapped sideways, his blue eyes searching for hers. White cheeks, black mouth and blood. There was blood all over her face. Her eyes caught him, imprisoned him. Jade green was foggy, life filled orbs empty. She was dead. _Deaddeaddead. _

"No!" he twisted to cover her body. "No, Sakura. You didn't. I told you to never—No, no!"

His fingers pressed against her throat but they were so numb he couldn't find a pulse. That had to be it. He was just… Numb. He didn't realize he was screaming until his head was buried in Kakashi's chest and his arms pulled behind his back – restrained – by Lee.

_No…_

---

Minato stood with his back to the clearing, his eyes staring forward. He distantly recognized that the coldness in his extremities as the first signs of shock. But he also knew that it was Orochimaru's decapitated body in the clearing, Orochimaru's head that was two feet shy from his tree, and Orochimaru's blood that was staining the bark of his hiding spot. They killed a Konoha nin. They killed a _Sannin_. They'd actually managed to kill a one of the Great Three. They'd just declared war on Konoha but he didn't want to exact revenge. Orochimaru, though his teacher's best friend and one of the hero's of his Hidden Village, had not been _his _friend and hero while Naoki and the rest were… whatever they were. His fingers tightened on the shuriken he'd pulled. He could take them all out right now. He was faster and better than all of them and the element of surprise was on _his_ side. He could do it.

The shuriken slid back into the pouch with barely a click of metal. The mourners didn't hear over the sound of Naoki's screams but it wouldn't have mattered if they had – Minato was already miles away, swiftly approaching where his team had parked the gigantic wagon less than a mile from the gates.

He slid up to Obito, who glanced up at him in askance. Minato shook his head minutely and the Uchiha resumed teasing Shinsei. Guilt roiled in Minato's gut. He was just about to fly ahead to Konoha to report the incident – and seal the slaughter of his friends – when Kakashi pulled him aside slightly "Orochimaru's been declared a traitor," Kakashi whispered in awe. "There's a flee on sight warrant for everyone under S-Rank."

"_What?"_ Minato hissed.

"Yeah – it happened four hours ago, but the message was just sent out. I almost sent a dog, but I don't want _them_ to spot you." Kakashi studied him. "Hey, you actually seem a little _relieved_. Is that… good? Did you… know… about Orochimaru…?"

"_What? _No! No, I didn't know. But something tells me Orochimaru won't be trouble."

He didn't say anything else when pressed.

The…whoever they were… arrived two hours after Minato. They were pale, blood stained, and weighed down by the body that was wrapped in their jackets. Shinsei went as white as a sheet when he saw Tsuki held between her two guys, weaving and shuffling too exhausted to walk but too proud to be carried. No one spoke for the rest of the night or the next day when they walked into the village.

---

They buried her outside the village.

The Hokage announced that the Caravan had stumbled across Orochimaru on their way to Konoha. They had managed to kill him but only by losing one of their own. Most villagers considered them lucky to have gotten off that lightly, but even so they respected Naoki's weird request for her to be buried just outside the Haruno Family grave plot. They carved the word _Sakura _across her tomb stone at Naoki's request since it had been her dead sister's favorite flower, or something like that.

The caravan stayed in Konoha to recover.

Naruto found himself walking in front of the Haruno house daily. He watched over Sakura's mother as she weeded her garden, hung out the laundry and gossiped with her neighbor with dull eyes. It was his only comfort – everything else reminded him of _her_ dead. When he walked past the Academy he wondered if she had flunked out, if she hadn't been so damn good at the written work, at the logic, if she had gotten away from him if she would have survived. When he walked past the hospital he remembered the way she had always leapt from windows, burst out of doors, and walled down walls to check up on him even though they _both_ knew Kyuubi had long since healed everything, and he wondered if they had just been a little closer, a little nearer to the hospital if she would have felt the need to do what she did.

At night he cursed her, when his dreams plagued him not of images of her stiffening corpse, bloody and white, but with visions of her alive and laughing, ruffling a hand through his hair, throwing an arm around him, another around Sai. Sometimes her arm wrapped around Sasuke, and then he _really_ hated himself. He hated himself when he heard Ino's bone wracking sobs that she tried to hide in Chouji's chest, when Hinata stared at her hands and rubbed them raw trying to get the blood off, when Kakashi stared at him, his eye drifting over Naruto's shoulder to where Sakura had always walked just a pace behind him so she could watch his back. He hated how Sai would start to insult someone, but stop and look over his shoulder realizing that Sakura wasn't there to stop him, how the painter's face fell just a little bit before he walked away.

He hated the way that Shinsei looked at him, at all of them, as if he'd finally realized that they weren't immortal.

He wasn't worth it. Naruto wasn't worth Sakura's life, possibly even her soul. It wasn't fair – it wasn't right. He was the one who got caught off guard for a split second. He was the one who missed the rumble of the stone under his feet, too focused on his target, and to focused on protecting everyone at the same time. He was the one who was stupid – stupid, stupid, _stupid – _enough to mess up just like always did. To choke when he was needed the most. _Stupid, stupid, STUPID!_

Naruto twisted in his night sack, the breathing of his companions too loud, but not loud enough. It was missing the one inhale and exhale that he needed. He cursed softly and shoved the blanket off his legs. Kiba's eyes flickered open but Naruto waved him off. Kiba's mouth tightened, but he closed his eyes. Naruto stepped over Sai, who had been glued to his side since Naruto's "death", around Ino who was pasted between Shikamaru and Chouji, and glided past Hinata, snuggly bundled up in Blanket-Shinsei. He jumped out of the overly crowded wagon as noiselessly as possible. Kakashi and Neji still looked his way from their perches on top of the wagon.

Kakashi landed beside him.

"Naruto?"

"I'm fine, Kakashi." Naruto tried to smiled knew he didn't succeed. "I'll be back soon, yeah?"

Kakashi stared at Naruto's rapidly diminishing back until he turned the corner.

---

Naruto sat on the roof across from Sakura's old family home. He'd been here for hours and the rising sun was just beginning to stain the sky red. No. Pink. It was definitely pinkish. Naruto grinned tiredly.

He was still sitting there as the sun made its trek to the other side of the horizon. He watched the comings and goings of the family, traced the signatures of every jounin, chunnin, genin or civilian who passed in a fifty foot radius of the front door. His eyes narrowed when he noticed that Sakura's mom was checking the time, her hand rubbing her stomach. _Is she hurt, is she sick? Will she be alright, should I get help?_

He was a split second away from dragging Haruno-san to a hospital when he spied her husband walking up the road.

Sakura's excited future mother ran out of the house, jumped into her husband's surprised arms, and announced to the world she was pregnant. Naruto's eyes widened. Within the time it took to do a translocation the time travelling Hokage was behind her rosebushes shamelessly eavesdropped as she told her husband that she was two weeks along, and if it was a girl they were going to name her after the cherry tree where she'd been conceived, and he _couldn't _complain.

Naruto whistled his way back to the wagon.

Kakashi stared at Naruto when he clapped his teacher on the shoulder and grinned. "She's gonna be back." Naruto said. "Hell, we'll make sure she's back for good this time, neh? Which reminds me, I better get started on that Uchiha problem that cropped up or Itachi's going to think I forgot about him."

---

The Uchiha situation was touchy.

Naruto didn't want another Uchiha Massacre. He wanted a healthy, _sane_ Sasuke, thank you _very_ much, and he wasn't too keen on the Akatsuki version of Itachi either.

The Uchiha had been, no… they _were_ a strong fighting force for Konoha and that would be useful since the treaty with Iwa would be signed by the end of the month and the Fourth Hokage would don the hat, not that _Minato_ knew that. Konoha would need years to recover and losing Uchiha support would leave her ripe for the picking. But he didn't want a revolt on his hands either. If it came between Konoha and the Uchiha, he would choose Konoha and sleep uneasily for the rest of his life.

Naruto didn't have the power to influence the minds of the council and he wasn't patient enough anyway. He couldn't go to Minato because then he'd have to reveal his source, and _that _would go over like a lead balloon. He also couldn't do anything drastic until Sasuke was born or risk eliminating his friend from the timeline entirely. Sakura would never forgive him. Naruto huffed and shoved a hand through his hair. Around him, his teammates were setting up shop – Ino laid out layers and layers of embroidered silk from Snow country, while Shikamaru already had someone playing against him. Sai pulled off the cover of his newest painting – a cherry tree shedding petals that turned into drops of blood – and Neji and Kiba pulled out the dart boards and other kid's games. Kakashi manned the teller, Icha Icha Fight pressed up against his nose.

He glanced up at Naruto, his uncovered eye scanning Naruto's expression. Abruptly he put down his book and leaped over the counter. Kakashi jammed his hands deep into his pocket and slouched over to where Naruto was sitting on a water barrel. "Beautiful day, isn't it."

Naruto shot him a look.

Kakashi rubbed his head sheepishly and nodded in acknowledgement of the reprimand. No small talk then. "You seem to be thinking deep thoughts." Well, _he_ wanted small talk, so _there._

"Kakashi." Naruto raised his head to the sky. "Just ask."

His teacher shrugged and reached in his back pocket to pull out a different Icha Icha book. "Saku—"

"I'm fine."

"Naruto…"

"I'm _fine._ She wouldn't want me to—" Naruto choked, cleared his throat, and went on."She'd want me to laugh."

"Mmm…" Kakashi turned the page even though he hadn't read the last one. Naruto could tell because his eyes stayed fixed in the middle of the page. "Any ideas on the Uchiha?"

"Some. I actually wanted to bounce a few off of you – you know more about the "modern" Uchiha than anyone else I can ask. Itachi… implied… that the segregation dates back before the formation of Konoha. The way I've been able to track it from what _you've _said, things only came to a head after the Kyuubi attacked. For whatever reason, Kyuubi's attack exacerbated the reason, because that's when the Uchiha were "encouraged" to move into a single compound. We… have plans for the Kyuubi attack, but I think we can manage the damage to the Uchiha clan if we work carefully."

Kakashi started slightly. "Naruto… you know after the Kyuubi attacks… we might not—"

"I know." Naruto cut him off. "But I have an idea. You told me that the Uchiha didn't have a lot of ties with the other clans, and if Obito's reactions to the rest of Konoha is a good judge of anything, then they aren't that close to the civilian population of Konoha either except for being the Police Force – and that's really good, because that's one less bridge we have to repair. The civies trust _them –_ the police – a lot more than they trust shinobi. But if we can repair the bonds between the Uchiha and the nins, get the other clans to _trust_ the Uchiha – if we can make the Uchiha see the value of the other clans maybe when Kyuubi attacks the council and shinobi won't be so easy to see the Uchiha as… whatever they saw them." Naruto looked confused for a second. He threw his head back and groaned. "There's so much I'm missing, dammit!"

"Sai might know something."

Naruto glanced up. "Sai? Danzo kept most stuff to himself. If it wasn't relevant to Sai's mission, he didn't know. And they trained to forget everything that wasn't relevant anymore."

Kakashi snorted. "Right. Because that works so well. Sai may not know what he knows, but you can't help but pick up on things when you're in ANBU." The two shinobi studied each other. Naruto stretched and slid off the barrel.

"I'll leave Sai up to you. You know what to look for better than I do. I'll hang out with Itachi for a while, see what I can pick up." He looked back at Kakashi. "Try not to worry too much, old man, or you'll go grey."

---

Itachi analyzed people. It was his new training form Naoki, something to improve his people skills.

That woman was guilty of stealing because she kept glancing back at the vendor and checking her pocket. The man over there won something big- maybe a girl, a prize, a fight – because he was hanging off his friend's neck, his hands gesturing in wide stripes. The boy in the green shirt hated the boy in the white shirt but the boy in the white shirt didn't know.

The body language of the crowd told him more than words. In less than thirty minutes he knew that the woman selling flowers liked the baker and he liked her back, and his wife knew it but didn't know it. He knew teller in the corner store was stealing from his register but the manager knew it and was just waiting for the theft to be big enough to really slam him. He knew the shinobi in the bar was drinking in the early morning because a friend had just died, but the person at the table across from him just liked sake.

He was watching a hungry street kid snatch a few wallets when Naoki landed beside him. "Itachi."

"Naoki." Itachi's body leaned toward the blond slightly. Itachi knew enough about body language to know what his own was saying. It was saying 'I trust you,' and 'take care of me' and 'I need help.' Naoki let his hand drop on Itachi's shoulder, warm and heavy. "No change at the compound," Itachi reported. He hesitated for a moment. Was it really worth mentioning? Surely it paled in light of his clan's betrayal. But… he was proud of it and it was the one redeeming factor about his clan right now. He wanted Naoki to know his clan wasn't all bad. "My mother is pregnant."

Naoki's hand clenched tight against his shoulder, but when Itachi looked at him Naoki's face showed nothing but happiness. "So you're going to be an older brother, Itachi?" Naoki's grin threatened to split his face. "I guess you'll have to take good care of him – or her – right? Teach him all the right moves about how to be a super awesome ninja. Oh and you'll have to tell him about girls too, 'cause no offence, but I think getting that chat from your dad would be _awkward." _Naruto tilted back his head and laughed._ "_And I can totally see him tagging along behind you, saying _Nii-san, carry me! Nii-san, show me _that_ move. Nii-san, play with me._" Naruto's hand lifted and ruffled Itachi's hair. "And you'll be awesome."

Itachi looked down, his smile pleased.

"Itachi," Naoki reached out and grabbed the boy by the shoulders. "Don't give up on your family, okay? If… if nothing can change their mind, then _I'll _deal with it, but we're not going to give up until we've tried everything and anything. I had a friend who we thought was beyond hope – hated everyone and anything that reminded him of some stuff. But we got him back – _I_ got him back, even when no one else said I could. _You_ can change things, Itachi."

The Uchiha genius stared at Naoki. Where the Uchiha clan sought to hide the conversation of their bodies, Naoki broadcasted his over a loudspeaker. The Uchiha were all quiet whispers, hidden facts and barely contained anger and suspicion. Naoki was disconcertingly blatant, his body radiating his confidence – his belief – his _trust_ in Itachi. He was the sun compared to the Uchiha eclipse, and Itachi wanted to stay in the sunshine forever.

Itachi looked over when the blonde stretched, his shoulders, elbows and wrists popping at the movement. Naoki watched the pedestrians lazily, not even flinching when a chunnin landed on the corner of the roof and bounded off to the store across the street. If Itachi hadn't been studying Naoki, learning him, learning _from_ him, he wouldn't detect the shadows that lurked behind blue eyes.

Itachi hadn't considered himself to be close to Haruko – the girl had an edge to her when she watched Itachi that made him wary – not nervous, _wary _– even as she teased him, ruffled his hair and swung him up for a hug. A _hug._ Like he wasn't the Uchiha prodigy, like he hadn't graduated as one of the youngest genin in Konoha _history_, like he wasn't _seven_ thank you _very much._ And contrary to Obito, he did _not _look cute and adorable just to make her hug him – really. The puppy dog eyes were not for her sake. And she stole Naoki's time – not that he was jealous or anything. It didn't matter to _him_ that she usually accompanied Naoki when he was meeting Itachi. And it certainly didn't matter that _she_ was the one to tell Naoki to go to bed, take care of Sai, or Kiba, or Katashi or whoever needed him more than _Itachi_ at that moment.

But Haruko had been Naoki's best friend. No matter how much Itachi wanted to dislike her – it was _not_ jealousy – he liked her because she made Naoki laugh even when he wasn't laughing. Now Naoki's eyes had those shadows, that sadness that no goofiness or puppy dog eyes or new technique could shoo away.

Naoki glanced over at Itachi and jumped. Itachi was staring at him, his nose squinted up in a look that if it hadn't been Itachi who would kill Naruto for ever even implying that Itachi was cute, he would have called adorable. Itachi's eyes were the reddish brown that meant his eyes were _that close_ to activating Sharingan. Naoki laughed. "Got something on your mind, kid?"

Itachi's mouth screwed into a pout. "No."

Naoki raised an eyebrow, but let it drop. "Have you met your team yet?" Itachi cringed. Naoki had to have been a shark in a previous life – he always knew where the blood was. "Oooh, that bad, eh?" Naoki grinned, his incisors gleaming. "Do tell."

---

Obito glared at the pebble. The pebble glared back. He narrowed his eyes. The pebble remained unmoved. With a snarl of frustration he threw the stone as hard as he could. It bounced off a tree and disappeared in the underbrush. "Stupid rock." Rin looked up from her notes, a smile twitching at the corner of her mouth. "Chakra exercises giving you trouble, Obito-kun?"

Obito scowled and reminded himself that this was _Rin_ and she was cute and he _liked_ her and he wouldn't leave a good impression if he bit her head off and told her that, why no, the exercises were going perfectly you blind bat and it was a testament to his control that the stone had not only levitated, but had flown across the field. He settled for glaring at her. Interactions between Kakashi and Rin had been tense enough without him getting in the mix.

And speaking of Kakashi…

Obito turned to watch his friend as he struggled with his father's old knife. After "Ground Zero," as Obito liked to think of it because that was when Team Minato had _really_ started, Kakashi began working his father's chakra blade, sitting for hours playing with the sword, making white chakra run up and down, longer and shorter, cutting wood and rock and burning through the ground. Obito's teeth clenched shut. Only Kakashi wouldn't see his control over the blade as not good enough.

Kakashi wanted to surpass his father, to revive the name of the White Fang. He'd also started learning more jutsu after his rather disastrous round with the chidori caused Minato to ban it – permanently. He and Obito had a bet – who could learn more techniques before one of them died; Kakashi with his brilliant mind and natural grasp of complex theory, or Obito with his Sharingan eyes. So far, Kakashi was in the lead, but Obito stubbornly insisted it was only because Kakashi had started earlier. Kakashi just pointed out that he was a full two years _younger_ than Obito and didn't that make Obito an idiot and give him his kunai pouch please.

The young Uchiha was cursing under his breath and scouring the field for another stone to practice on because no matter how hard it was he was _not_ going to let Kakashi surpass him in _chakra_ control _again_, when Minato stumbled into the clearing, fell on his butt and sat there blinking. The chunnin (and one jounin) glanced at each other and moved in around their dazed sensei. "Minato-_sensei ,_" Rin said carefully. "Are you okay?"

Minato blinked up at her. "I'm gonna be Hokage."

Kakashi and Obito exchanged looks. "How hard do you think he hit his head?" Obito whispered.

Kakashi shrugged. "Use your Sharingan. Maybe he's under a genjutsu." Kakashi studied his captain and amended, "Or he could be sick and delusional. Maybe we should call Kushina because if he throws up I am _not_ cleaning it up." Rin stopped checking Minato's pulse long enough to glare at Kakashi, who shrugged nonchalantly, before reaching up to take Minato's temperature. She pulled back when she met Minato's glare.

"I am not concussed, I'm not under genjutsu, and I'm not sick. Or joking. Or drunk, or…or… whatever excuse you're coming up with. I'm going to be _Hokage."_ Minato blinked and paled. "I think I'm going to be sick." There was a _poof_ and Kakashi was gone Obito following close behind. Rin glared at the place they were _supposed _to be, you know, _helping_ her, but sighed and helped Minato stand.

"Come on, _sensei._ I think you need to see Kushina."

"Oh." Minato answered, dazed. "Right. I need to tell her. I guess we could have gotten that bigger apartment. Huh. Too bad it's off the market, because now I'm going to hear about it _.er._"

The medic-nin rolled her eyes.

---

Itachi was in the middle of telling Naruto how his teammates had no respect and his sensei kept giving him the stupid overwhelmed "by Kami what did I do to deserve this," look and how everyone was so _slow_ to pick up on things, and by the way would Naoki be willing to get back at Genma for him, because the little brat had shot a needle at him the other day, and his dad said he couldn't light him on fire, and was Naoki _sure_ he couldn't light him on fire? No? Well then how about a genjutsu?... When Kushina landed next to them. "Hello, brats!" the redhead chirped.

Itachi cringed, Naruto jumped, and Kushina grinned evilly. "Naoki, sorry about your friend." Kushina shot him a sympathetic look, "but I had an idea—" Itachi let out a gasp "—that could take your mind off things for a bit." Kushina finished, glaring at the smug little Uchiha brat who smirked back at her. "How would you feel about shaking some rust off your pranking skills."

Naruto studied him mom for a moment. His time in the civilian world had taught him a lot about how _normal_ people grieved. _Normal_ people took months to adjust to the absence of friends. _Normal _people tip toed around the bereaved, never mentioning their name, never talking about their loss, but staring in blatant pity and curiosity that was worse. _Shinobi_ worked to remember the dead, made fun of the dead, brought the dead into casual conversation and spoke as if losing your soul mate, best friends, husband, wife, and children was an everyday occurrence, because it was. And then they tried to help you grieve by taking you _pranking_ of all things. Naruto grinned.

Yeah. It felt good to be back around _his_ normal again. The caravan was just a little too close to be much help right now. "Who do you have in mind?"

"Well…" Kushina grinned. "Minato got called away by the Hokage during _our_ picnic, so I was thinking we could start there, and then Itachi-chan mentioned some guy named Genma, so we could go there next, and I noticed the clan members are a little stuck up nowadays so after 'Tachi-chan gets his vengeance I think we should…"

--

Minato was _heavy._ Rin grunted as she shifted his weight _again_. She pictured Kakashi and Obito who had probably snagged Shinsei and were probably dancing around in the dandelions right about now while she lugged the fat, ugly, lazy, stupid old sensei home. Yes, she was bitter. What about it? At least Minato had stopped babbling. Rin looked up and twitched. _What on earth… is that… _

_Uchiha Itachi?_

_He couldn't possibly be… no. No way. The beloved Uchiha Genius couldn't possibly be that stupid._

But he was. As Rin stopped in the middle of the street, Minato hanging off her shoulder, her eyes as wide as they could go Itachi climbed to the Hokage window, a bucket of… something…, a wad of paper clutched in his hand, and a coil of wire wrapped around his wrist. Itachi stuck the bucket over the window and attached the wire to the latch. He rolled out the wad of paper to reveal a rather complex seal that Rin didn't try to understand. Itachi turned around and shot a thumbs up to… was that _Kushina?_ And Naoki?

And where they holding _underwear?_ And why was Itachi making the seals for a genjutsu?

Before she could really register that thought, ANBU were jumping out from everywhere, the seal went off, the bucket was swinging through the window and splashing bright yellow paint on everything, the ANBU were stuck in the big seal, and the three conspirators were getting the hell out of dodge.

Rin closed her eyes tightly and shook her head. Maybe she should just take her sensei to the hospital. If the ANBU caught Kushina, Minato would be on his own for a while, and since Minato had just giggled she didn't think that would be a good idea.

---

Itachi studied the enemy before him. Chunnin, injured knee, and angry. Plan of action: feign a round house kick. Use enemy's cross arm block as leverage for a kick in the brisk basket, wrap leg around weak knee and pull. Result – ability to pursue neutralized with limited damage to the target. Itachi was already moving. The world was blurring around him, yet so crystal clear. He knew that to the chunnin it looked like he'd disappeared – vanished to the whistle of speed – and appeared directly in his face. Itachi's knee planted in the chunnin's face sending him sprawling. The chunnin was slower than Itachi thought. He grimaced and landed a knee in the shinobi's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He'd be fine, but Itachi wouldn't be if the other pursuers caught up to him.

Up ahead Kushina's brash laugh chimed, ringing across the rooftops as she trapped a fellow Konoha nin in a gummy glue. Florescent pink and green gummy glue. She paused long enough to uncap her permanent marker and draw whiskers across his face. Then she was blurring, tucking Itachi under her arm, and transporting half way across the city. Naoki grinned when he saw them land. His trap was almost ready – just one more wire, just one dud exploding note to usher pursuers into the trap, just a little bait. He stood up and planted his fists on his hips and looked at his trap with obvious pride. "Well, my minions, what do you think?"

"_Your _minions?" Kushina snorted. "What have _you_ been snorting."

"We have been using capacious amounts of paint," Itachi pointed out. "Perhaps the fumes have gotten to him." Naruto shot them wounded looks and pouted. Kushina and Itachi grinned, but Kushina's look sobered as she examined the trap. Itachi had soon learned that while the aftermath of a prank was filled with harrowing escapes, and hectic plans, the execution was a Very Serious Business. Neither Naoki or Kushina were playing around when they set up the… games.

"And you're sure the council will be coming this way?" Kushina asked, studying the routs on and off of the roof.

Naoki grinned. "Oh yeah. With all the… disruptions on the other routes they'll have no choice. We'll probably miss one or two, but we'll get the old hag and old bag, and the Inuzuka for sure." Kushina mentally translated "old hag and old bag" to Homura and Koharu, and finally let loose her grin. Naoki matched it. Itachi had a double take. _For a moment, it looked as if…_Itachi's eyes narrowed.

"Here they come." Itachi sprang away from the roof. Their next target was Genma, and Itachi wanted to get on with it. He smiled – the warmth of the familiar chakra at his back filled him with confidence. He'd teach that knitter-wannabe to spit at an Uchiha!

---

Minato rubbed his head and smiled to the best of his ability but to no avail. The ANBU continued to glare at him. Well, not really glare, because for them to glare they had to meet his eyes. Rather, they loomed impressively, both with their bodies and their chakra. Minato wondered if they remembered that the man they were trying to intimidate was the one who had gotten them out of more than one tough spot. His smile was fanged as he considered reminding them that he had the record of the most kills in a minute – 350. And he was the future Hokage. Minato abruptly sank back into his chair and stared at the wall.

_Hokage_.

He rubbed his eyes. Kushina was going to laugh her head off. Then she was going to challenge him to a duel. And _then_ she was going to bring up the house. Why didn't he just buy her the house?

Rin frowned. The ANBU looked smug all the sudden and she _didn't. like. it._ "Minato-sensei, were you serious when you said you could kill ten men in ten seconds even _with_ the chakra restrictions?" The ANBU were leaning back again. Good. "I hope whatever Kushina did deserves this or else I'm going to make sure that Tsunade-sama requires all ANBU to update their vaccinations." There! The one on the left twitched. Rin smirked and _felt_ Minato smirk with her. _Hmph. _She_ had done all the work._ Oh yeah – it had better be worth it.

---

Naruto's plan was simple – he had to increase the Shinobi's opinion of the Uchiha – not their skills, because no one denied _that_, what with the sharingan and all. No, what he had to do was make the other shinobi _like_ the Uchiha, which was considerably more difficult. So what was the logic of making Uchiha Itachi the object of ire for pretty much everyone who mattered in the village by recruiting him to pull off some of the most humiliating and ingenious pranks ever? Simple – he wanted to _humanize_ the Uchiha. He wanted to make the genius weapon look like a playful little boy, he wanted the Uchiha to band together with the other clans to catch the kid. He wanted the teenagers to admire Itachi's daring, he wanted the kids to want to _be_ Itachi, not because of his kill count, the number of jutsu he'd copied, or the rank of the enemies he'd defeated.

It had been years since Naruto had played pranks to win affection, but it had worked for him. At first he'd earned the village's ire, but then so slowly no one had noticed it happening, he'd earned their amusement. After amusement he'd won their hearts. It was always the troublemakers who gained the most affection. The troublemakers instigated a mother's protective urge, made fathers shake their head and smile. Troublemakers were _interesting_.

Naruto would make the villagers fond of Itachi. He would make them love him. Naruto would find a way to include the entire clan into his scheme. He would manipulate them into loving Itachi's family. Then the Uchiha would see reason. He'd bind them to Konoha, but even more importantly he'd bind them to the people _in_ Konoha. And if that didn't hold them he'd bind them with blood and fear. If all else failed…

He'd pluck the rotten fruits from the tree.

But he would never, ever let Itachi take the blame.

Time was so short. He had two weeks and a year until the Kyuubi would… until Kyuubi. It was so little time. So little time for everyone to be born, to see what kind of Hokage his father would be, so little time to guide the right people. So little time to choose who would be the one to… but of course, Naruto wouldn't let anyone else do it. He'd be like his father and take it upon himself because that's what a Hokage did. Naruto smile widened, but it wasn't necessarily because two thirds of the council was covered in sewage.

---

Kushina snorted as she looked though the many pieces of clothing she and her co-conspirators had… borrowed… from the clans and various other ninja families around town. What was it with Konoha's pressing desire to _brand_ everything they owned. The Hyuuga had even labeled their _underwear_. Their _adult_ underwear. Now, she could understand marking your pants and shirts if you had teammates like Kaito and Tairu who had stolen _her_ clothes for an undercover op – she was never going to let them live it down – but seriously, there were limits. She threw an Inuzuka's boxers into the box that would be distributed into the Uchiha's drawers along with the _Mighty Mikeyninja _and _Princess_ _Sleepjutsu_ underwear. In order to get their _own_ clothes back, the clans were going to face some serious embarrassment, especially since Itachi had copied the handwriting of several prominent people to write their names on the more… scandalous items they'd procured that would be scattered among the clothes.

She smiled. That boy was wicked when he loosened up. It was hard to believe that less than two years ago he'd been the mechanical monster who hadn't smiled at _anything_. Kushina frowned as she rubbed her thumb over Mikoto's clear kanji. _Mikoto… did you realize what your clan was doing? You swore to me that no child of yours would get caught up in the clan power plays but…_ Her eyes narrowed. _Even I knew that Itachi was on his way to being one of the most used pawns in the game. Now that Naoki has so blatantly flaunted his control over the boy what are you going to do?_

_Will you fight for your weapon at the cost of your son? _

But of course. She'd forgotten – Mikoto had a new child now, or soon would. Itachi would be deemed expendable, because Fugaku had given his wife a consolation prize. Kushina's fist tightened. It wasn't that she _hated_ the Uchiha clan. She just hated their narrow view of the world – that the world was a battlefield. That power was the ultimate goal. Her head bowed. But really, who was she to judge. Her clan had been…

Kushina shied away from the thought. With a sigh she shoved the stolen clothes beneath her bed. Naoki would pick them up in an hour and they would go prancing across the city spreading uproarious fun wherever they stopped, but that was later. Right now she sat back on her heels and surveyed the home. Minato's shirt was thrown over her chair, his pants a puddle on the floor. The bed was a tangle of blankets and pillows from where she tossed and turned and wrapped herself, stealing all the covers from her annoyed lover. She knew if she went into the bathroom she'd find it spotless, despite her recurring efforts to return to its hazardous state. But Minato would always put the cap on the toothpaste, shake out her toothbrush, and clean around the sink. The bathroom selves were stuffed with not only _her_ pain medications for the inevitable breaks and injuries she incurred, but his and his teams because the four of them would never get help when they _really _ticked Rin off.

Her cupboards were overflowing with ramen, but they were also full of rice and seasonings and flour and the other things she needed to make more balanced meals. Kushina had been trained by the best, and so far Minato hadn't complained about her cooking.

Before it had been the only apartment she could find, the only one that would rent to the _Whirlpool Ninja,_ un-trusted, un-respected. A roof over her head when she had nowhere else to go. Now it was a home. _Home._ Minato had made it a home. She closed her eyes and pulled Minato's shirt off the chair and sniffed it. Evergreen, dirt and sweat. _Minato…_

The subtle brush of chakra against her traps made her look up – she spiked her chakra for a brief thousandth of a second, but that was all he needed. Strong, bronzed arms wrapped around her, her nose was pressed into his soft navy shirt. "Hey."

Minato brushed a kiss across the crown of her head. "The funniest thing happened today."

"Yeah?" She pulled back. "The only thing that would shock me is if Obito got the nerve to kiss Rin."

Minato grinned but shook his head. "I was on my way home with Rin when we were pulled aside by some yellow ANBU. Funny, I didn't think ANBU armor came in that color."

"Really?" Kushina lifted her chin. "Wow, I guess they're not so concerned about being seen anymore, what with the war ending. You might have to talk to the Hokage about that. Never know when ANBU will get paying missions again."

"I'll keep that in mind when I get the hat next month."

"Might not be a good idea to wait. I mean, the ANBU missions are so important and…" Kushina blinked. "Funny, it didn't sound like you were joking just then."

"I wonder why." Minato mused.

By now Kushina could have attached a light bulb to that smile and watched it explode. "You're not saying…" Minato smile faded, but the glow remained. Kushina felt like someone had punched her in the gut. "Wow, Minato…" Her Minato – Hokage. For a brief instant her mind flashed over what it would do to him, how he would bend and break and come home sadder and wearied by the reports and deaths and orders and the _politics – _Kami the _politics _of being Hokage - but she was a shinobi, and a shinobi saw the honor for what it was. Kushina hugged him, laughing and crying and yelling on the top of her lungs that _her_ man was _the_ best and _the _brightest and _the _coolest _ever_, and take _that _Mikoto_, _and there had never been a woman as proud as she.

Minato laughed with her when she pulled him up to jump on the bed. "Minato's gonna be Hokage, Minato's gonna be Hokaaage!"

And maybe mid jump wasn't the _best_ moment to reach up, grab Minato around the neck and pull his head down to kiss him since it hurt when their teeth clacked and they fell off the side of the bed and Kushina bashed her head against the floor, but it was worth it when he was burying his head in the nook of her neck, trailing his nose up her jaw and kissing her mouth with all his might.

No matter what might happen to him, because the Hokage was never allowed to die in peace, she knew that, knew in her gut that something horrible was going to happen to him now, _this_ moment was worth it.

"Aaarg! My eyes! Itachi – save _meeee."_

Kushina growled as Minato jerked away. The two jounin turned to stare at the two very unrepentant shinobi who were squatting in her windowsill. "How did you…" Kushina trailed off into a snarl when Naruto's grin widened. "I'll get you for this, _brat._"

"You can try." Naruto shot back. "But you're doomed to failure."

"Wanna bet?"

"Anytime, anywhere."

"May we please have the clothes?" Itachi broke in. "According to Shisui my mother has joined the hunt, and I would like to go to bed before she checks at home." No mother liked to wake a sleeping seven year old.

Minato blinked. "Clothes?"

The three of them stared at Minato like deer in the headlights. Then Kushina was up and pushing him out the door, chattering about food and what would he like to eat, and maybe they should celebrate and go to that one really, really expensive across town restaurant that they had _always_ wanted to try out but couldn't afford so they avoided like the plague. Minato ignored Kushina's blatant attempts to shove him out of the house and glanced over his shoulder as Itachi and Naoki grabbed several boxed from under Kushina's bed and leapt out the window.

Kushina detected his intense curiosity and wracked her brain for a way to keep him from wrecking her prank. She turned to him with wide eyed innocence. "Say… Minato. Now that you're going to be Hokage do you think we could check out that one house—"

"You said you wanted to eat out?"

Somehow he just _knew_ tomorrow was going to be a pain but he was too happy that Kushina had forgotten about the house to care.

---

It was dark when Naruto crept back into camp. Naruto stood outside the circle of light cast off from the campfire and saw Ino gazing off into the flames. She hadn't noticed him even though he wasn't trying to mask his chakra. He shuffled his hair and sighed, his eyes flickering from the girl to the wagon back to her. For a moment he pictured he could see Sakura sitting beside her, arm around her shoulder, hand waving as she spun tales of handsome boys and fierce battles where girls kicked butt and took names. Then the vision faded and Ino was left alone, broken, quiet. Naruto's jaw tightened.

"I'm not used to seeing you without Shika or Chou attached to the hip." He finally said. Ino jerked. Naruto sighed again as he sat beside her. "I am so sorry Ino."

Ino laughed harshly. "You've got a nice way of showing it – running around the city playing your stupid—" she hid her face behind her hand. Naruto turned to watch the flames, giving her time to collect herself. She was up and snapping in less than a minute. "How can you be so cheerful. Don't you _get_ it? Sakura's _dead_. We are _never_ going to see her again. She's not going to come around the corner from some stupid mission, she's not gonna be there when we—how could you—how dare you be so—argh!"

"I told her to not do it."

Ino glared at him. "What?"

"I told her, 'If I ever die, let me stay dead.' I didn't want her to die for me." Naruto met Ino's eyes. "But I knew she'd do it. For me and for you…We are the two people she'd kill herself for, Ino. And I _miss_ her, and I wish she'd let me stay dead, and I know she should be alive, and I know I'm not worth losing her, but I—" He was cut off by Ino's hands wrapping around his neck.

"Don't say that! Don't you dare say that!" She screamed. Naruto's eyes flickered to the wagon but he didn't see any movement. Ino shook him and he flinched from whiplash. "How can you—you aren't—She shouldn't have had to—I shouldn't have to choose!"

"Choose?' Naruto gasped. His face was quickly turning red.

Ino slammed her fist into his chest, "Yes, you idiot! I shouldn't have to choose which one of you I want to be alive! I have to choose between you or Sakura, and that's not _fair." _Naruto drew back in alarm when she burst into tears. Ino buried her head in Naruto's chest and let out a wail. Naruto's eyes darkened and he put an arm around her back.

"No," he whispered. "it really isn't fair."

"A-and I didn't even g-get to say goodbye. S-she didn't let me. She was going to die and s-she didn't let me say goodbye!"

Naruto flinched and wrapped both arms around her tightly. "Ino, I am so sorry."

The girl let out a snotty sob, wrapped her arms around herself and curled into a ball against Naruto's side. She cried herself to sleep, her tears making a large wet spot against his side. Naruto just stared into the flames. Once his eyes flickered up to meet Shikamaru's, but the boy turned away one he'd assured himself that Ino was safe. Naruto closed his head and tipped his head back. _Well… looks like I'm on guard duty._

He opened his eyes and smiled at the millions of stars that he saw. _Sakura, wherever you are…I hope you're happy._

_Watch out for us, okay?_

His grin widened when a distant star twinkled.

Yeah…

She was alright.

---

Tbc…

**Authors Note: **Before I get a bunch of flames I'd like to point out that the perspectives of the characters in this story are not necessarily my own. So Naruto calling himself stupid is based on his self recrimination for "letting" himself get killed, as well as the doubts that were revealed in the Manga chapters where he met his *spoiler* dad.

Also, I know it seems like Naruto isn't really grieving during the prank war, but that is Kushina's way of helping him deal. And by this time, Naruto has faced the death of many, many friends and comrades and has a system to deal with it. He is grieving, but he's also trying to reconcile Sakura's death with her upcoming birth. He'll be dealing with this a lot in the upcomming chapters, so... no flames please? *nervous glance* [grin]

Also, for those making guesses about the Kyuubi - there are some pretty big hints in this chapter, but that's all I'm gonna say.

Once again, this chapter is Un-Beta'd, so all mistakes are mine.

Thanks for reading, and feedback - both positive and negative is always, always welcome.


	18. Much Ado About Treason

FanFic dot Net decided to be mean and delete my pagebreaks. I'll try to get them back up, but for now, please bear with me.

**Chapter 18**

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* * *

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This was supposed to be the second to last chapter! Why? Why won't it cooperate? Why does it resist me?

"Did you hear?.."

"Can you be_lieve_ what those miscreants did?"

"They sure have spunk, that's for sure… never thought an Uchi…"

"Found a thong with Hyuuga Hiashi's name on it and you _know_ the Hyuuga sign everything…"

"…it must be his…"

"Trapped the council in goo…ANBU furious…"

"Inuzuka out for blood…Akimichi found it funny though…"

"…hen aren't the Inuzuka out for blood?...heard about them in the war. Fought with the…zuka head before he was shaved from the neck up by the…"

"An Uchiha? Really? Never thought those uptight bas…had it in them…"

"…tachi, can you believe it?"

"Uchiha Itachi? Working with Uzumaki? Well I'll be…"

"…Can't really blame the kid…clan like that even I'd be… needs a mother's han…"

Naruto listened to the whispers, the gossip, and the tales. He watched the faces when Itachi wasn't looking. He saw the back slaps, the noogies, the "helpful advice." He saw progress.

Itachi didn't. "Why are they always staring at me?"

"People always stare at you, Itachi."

"Yeah," Itachi snorted. "But not like they want to swoop in and _maul _me."

Naruto cleared his throat. "Well… we did… sort of… set her store on fire."

"It was an accident! And I paid her back."

"Correction – _I _paid her back. You just helped her build the shop again."

Itachi huffed and jutted out his lip. "Fine. Tam-san I understand. But what about _them."_ He jabbed his finger towards a gaggle of preteen girls who glanced his way and giggled.

"Oh." Naruto said.

Itachi glanced at his mentor in alarm. "Oh? Oh _what?_ Are they dangerous? Will they mangle me to death? Shisui always gets weird when he goes off with girls, and he always has red marks on his cheek when he comes back. And he can't concentrate afterwards." Itachi froze. "Do they steal your concentration? Do they use a jutsu to hinder your abilities? I don't want to end up like Shisui, Naoki!" Naoki glanced at Itachi from the corner of his eye. "What?"

"Itachi, what _exactly_ do you know about girls?"

Itachi pondered. He rubbed his chin with his pointer finger and thumb in a gesture he could _only_ have learned from his dad and struck a pompous, proud tone as he recited his so-carefully-gathered information. "Girls are the source of many of the evils in the world. They are the carriers of what is commonly called _cooties._ Unreliable in Ninja Wars, girls prefer to play with over priced and over endowed miniatures that demonstrate an idealistic model of the female form. Once they reach the age where cooties has been temporarily cured – though boys have been as yet unable to discover the cure for this mysterious disease to heal them _earlier_ – the female begins to settle down into a logical pattern of thinking. However, since their younger years have been squandered by their futile study of tactics with their overpriced dolls, they quickly succumb to the masculine experience of their teammates. Their logic is overthrown and they begin squealing, fighting and causing general chaos. After the age of 15, the girls who have managed to withstand the second stage of cooties become terrifying and psychotic, preferring to _why are you laughing?"_

Naruto swallowed his bout of sniggers and shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, Itachi." _Man, if he was the one who taught Sasuke about girls, no wonder he always behaved like they were a disease._ "Actually, the girls over there just think you're cute."

Itachi looked horrified. "Kotetsu-san told me about that. Does that mean they're going to try and rip me in half in a bizarre mating ritual?"

Naruto stared at him. Itachi stared back completely serious.

"Pffft…" Naruto collapsed into giggles.

* * *

Uchiha Mikoto was a former jounin. In a clan where the accomplishments of women were often disregarded, this was unusual and unrewarded except for her marriage to Fugaku. It hadn't been her dream or her desire to wed the distant but genius heir. In fact, Mikoto felt sicker on her wedding day than on her first suicide mission. The irony that that particular mission had landed her the jounin promotion that caught the eyes of the clan elders was not lost on her. The fact of the matter was, the next generation of heirs must be strong, must bear the title – _the cage, the prison, the chains_ – of genius. And how better to secure that strength than to marry – _chain, cage, condemn_ - the clan's most promising kunoichi to their pride and joy and light of their dulling eyes, Uchiha Fugaku.

Mikoto's family had been thrilled, pleased with the prospects and quickly agreed. Mikoto watched - silent and forgotten, her knees aching from the tight grip that would leave bruises for her to find later – as she was sold for the good of the clan, condemned - _chained, imprisoned, shackled –_ to stay inside the walls of Konoha.

What did it matter if her sharingan surpassed her fiancé's? That it was more battle ready than that of half the militia in the clan? It's only worth was as a gift to be passed on to her son. What did _they_ care that the Sandaime himself had declared her one of his greatest assets. So what if she was mentioned with many, many warnings in several captured bingo books? She was going to give birth to the next Clan Head. _That_ was her worth.

Mikoto had briefly entertained the idea of defecting, abandoning the clan to live with Kushina – _warm, bright, exuberant, _naïve _Kushina – _but disregarded her salvation when she learned of the elder's second choice. Uchiha Haru was young, bright, and madly in love with a talentless ninja of a lesser family. She was Mikoto's best friend.

Mikoto married her cage – _her chain, her trap, her prison guard –_ and her colorless life began. The walls of the clan house closed in around her. What little hopes she had for a warm marriage were destroyed early on by the coolness of her husband. As expected of her, Itachi was born less than a year after the exchange of vows. As expected of her, she allowed the clan to take and mold the boy. She didn't care. He was _their _weapon, _their_ tool, _their_ heir. She'd done her duty.

But she wasn't free.

And then the Caravan arrived, bringing a man – _a smile, a hug, a hand to ruffle hair –_ who was to Itachi what Kushina had tried to be for her – _hope, warmth, light. _And suddenly the clan's pride, their heir, the little _monster_ she bore for them wasn't so perfect. He was broken, ruined, too "human" for them. The elders came clamoring to Fugaku for another little monster. They reminded her of her _duty_ and Mikoto hated them. She hated the clan as she watched the light flare in her son's eyes, watched with a secret smile and mother's pride. She despised them when they tried to kill that light with punishments, with laws, with rules, with cane and rod and genjutsu. She planned their bloody, torturous deaths for trying to kill her son in the way that mattered.

But the clan would win. They always won. So why fight? Why not give them Itachi, her son who was quickly growing warm, too warm for shattered, broken, _trapped _Mikoto. She'd give them Itachi, but the next one would be _hers._

She blinked and watched her son stomp up the porch, his lower lip jutting out in a petulant pout. "Itachi-chan," Mikoto observed her son. "What is wrong?"

"Naoki laughed at me!" Itachi whined. He actually stomped his foot. "I gave him my report and he laughed!"

Mikoto studied her son, observing the flush of his cheek, the indignation and hurt pride in his eyes. He was ripe for the picking. Right for the _molding. _If she stretched out her hand right now she could weave the trap that would choke him, lock him into the hell she'd suffered for eight years. But did she really want to? Was it really worth it? Was she really ready to betray her village – Kushina, Hokage-sama, her old friends?- for the good of the clan? Mikoto shook her head. If Naoki was making Itachi give reports about the village, it was her duty to learn about it. She wasn't necessarily giving in to Fugaku and the council. It might lead to that but right now it was her _duty,_ right? "What was the report you gave, Itachi-chan?

Itachi glanced at her warily. _What is he searching for?_ Mikoto lowered herself to the ground, her belly not big enough to really notice, much less hinder her. She concentrated on making her face open and accessible, on hiding any traces of suspicion and deceit. Mikoto squashed the sense of guilt that said this was her _son,_ not an enemy, not a foreigner, not a _mission._ She placed her hand on her belly and reminded herself that _this _one would be different. Itachi was for the clan. Sasuke would be for _her._

Apparently satisfied with what he'd seen, Itachi launched into a long explanation of how the girls had been looking at him, how Naoki had asked for a report on the female kind, and how Itachi had been _trying _to educate him, because Naoki hung out with _way _too many girls to be sane and informed. When he reached the part where all adult female ninja were driven to bloodthirsty insanity by the resurgence of the mysterious mind disease called cooties, Mikoto laughed. Her laugh, broken and worn, stretched its wings from the cold cage that had held it for too long. It felt good.

No. No, she would _not_ give Itachi to the clan. Not this son. Not _any_ of her sons.

Itachi's face slowly dissolved from his frown when he realized that his mother – not the Inuzuka's mom, not the Akimichi's mom, not even _Kotetsu's_ mom – _His_ mom was laughing. He stared in wonder as the woman who had so rarely held him, so rarely lowered her mask of serenity, lost it. Her giggles quieted and she held out her hand for Itachi to take. "Come on, Itachi. It looks like you need to get out more." Itachi stared in wonder at the dark blue grey eyes that were finally smiling at _him_, finally seeing _him,_ and took her hand. His mother grinned at him, "Hanashi is _never_ going to believe this."

By noon, Uchiha Itachi's report of female conduct was as widespread as the rumors of Uzumaki Kushina's fake pregnancy. The fruit lady had heard it from the baker's wife, who heard it from the fisherman's wife, who heard it from the flower girl, who heard it from Hyuuga Hanashi's maid, who had heard it from the cook, who heard it from the serving girl, who heard it when she'd been…ahem… weeding the garden under the window.

By the end of the day people were smiling at the Uchiha clan, both ninja and civilians alike, and wondering if the Uchiha were so stiff because they never learned basic human interactions.

By the end of the night Itachi swore to never tell his mother _anything_ ever again, because when girls grew up to be moms they couldn't keep a secret.

And, most importantly, Naoki noted as he eavesdropped on two gossiping women, a wolfish grin threatening to split his face, the ties between the Hyuuga Clan and the Uchiha Clan strengthened as two estranged friends renewed their relationship.

Jiraiya would live, but Tsunade found it hard not to wonder if maybe she shouldn't have stopped Orochimaru and _then_ come back for the idiot. Her teeth ground together – for an entire month she had pestered the girl. She'd hunted her, interrogated her, and studied her because Haruko had the key. Haruko had the secrets that Tsunade desperately needed, desperately _wanted_. The secrets that could have kept Dan alive. Secrets that could have saved Nawaki…. But it was useless! The girl was dead. Gone. Beyond reach.

Tsunade cussed, the quick staccato of her fingers beating a rhythm into the desk, the deepening dents an indication of her rising ire. She should have let the fool die. With a snarl she snatched up the picture of her team – the one where Jiraiya's hand was just a _little_ too far down her hip, the only one where Orochimaru was actually _laughing_, the one where she was held between them, her eyes bright and shinning _home_, before the war, before Orochimaru had gone on that _damned_ mission that made him weird and twisted, before Jiraiya's students from that small _insignificant _country had taken him away, leaving her to deal with Orochimaru as he got scarier and scarier, before Jiraiya's student's deaths made him hide behind perverted comments and cleverly designed mirrors that made her too angry to see beneath lower levels of the underneath, before everything had gone so _wrong – _and shattered it against the far wall. A stray piece of glass cut a ragged gash through Jiraiya's smile and though her neck. Orochimaru was unscathed. She stomped to her feat and extricated the photo from the glass. It caught on something and ripped Orochimaru away from the rest of the team.

Tsunade whined, clutching the picture to her chest. How true. She and Jiraiya would carry the scars the open wounds, but she bet the son of… _Orochimaru_ would leave unscathed. Tsunade pressed her forehead to her knees. Orochimaru wouldn't look back. He'd already cut them out of his heart. So she would cut him out of hers.

She would not consider Orochimaru her brother anymore.

He was a traitor, and that was what he'd remain.

Forever.

Tsunade bit her lip and scowled at the droplets of water hitting the paper. The ceiling was leaking again.

Obito leaned against the wall beside Tsunade's office and squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't like hearing girls cry. It always reminded him of his mom after the chuunin brought his dad's body back. Obito leaned to peek through the crack of the door. Tsunade was bent over her knees, her forehead touching the ground. It was pitiful. She really reminded him of his mom. Obito hung his head, fought back the coward inside of himself, and pulled open the door and walked in. He never thought he'd be able to sneak up on a Sannin. He would have been proud except that he was actually _trying_ to make noise. He had no desire to be in a hospital bed again.

But Obito had always been the compassionate one of his family and he swallowed his fear and hugged the woman. Tsunade hugged him back so tightly he winced. "I am _not_ crying."

"Okay…" Obito answered. "You're not crying, and this never happened, m'kay?"

* * *

Minato ducked. The egg sailed over his head and splattered against the wall where the yoke slowly slid down through a pool of clear fluid.

"You're cleaning that up!" Kushina yelled from where she stirred her new monstrosity.

"Me?" Minato yelled back, pulling up from where he'd "duck and covered". "You're the one who threw it."

"You're the one who dodged." Kushina shook her spoon at him and a drop of cake batter fell to the floor. She eyes the toxic blob, "…and now you made me splatter on the floor."

"What was I supposed do, let it hit me?" Kushina shot him a look that said, _Well, duh, idiot._ "And wait! The cake batter is totally your fault!" Kushina's eyes narrowed and her hand drifted a _liiitle_ too close to the kitchen knives. Minato swallowed hard. "I… I mean, of course I'll clean it up, _dear_." Kushina reached up as if she could pat him on the head from across the room.

"Good boyfriend."

"Hey watch it! I'm going to be Hokage, remember? I could have you locked up for threatening me." He wrapped his arms around her stomach and pressed his cheek to hers, smiling.

Kushina snorted. "Well, Mr. Future Hokage, you could help me round up some of the rogue eggs. It seems one had an unfortunate end."

"Mhmmm…" Minato answered, distracted. He kissed her neck and smiled against her skin as she giggled. " You know," kiss, "We could," he spun her around to kiss her on the mouth. "Move this to…" this kiss took longer. "a more private place." He was breathless.

Kushina grinned and wrapped an arm firmly around his neck, pulling his head down closer. "It's our apartment. How much more private do you need?" One kiss led to another, and he was rediscovering the skin under Kushina's collarbone when the doorbell rang.

Minato's head fell against Kushina's neck as she laughed. "I guess you'd better go get that, Hokage-sama." She let her legs fall from where they'd wrapped around him and whispered against his mouth, "You can follow up on that thought later."

Minato swatted her rear as he walked away and laughed at her protests. He was still smiling when he opened the door to see Uchiha Mikoto standing sedately on his doorstep, her hands folded in front of her. _Oh sh—._ Minato straightened to his considerable height and pretended he wasn't intimidated by the woman two and half feet shorter. "Can I help you?"

His voice was a little too rough, his words a little too clipped to be polite, and the low level of killing intent he sent out was not politically correct in any way, shape, or form, but Mikoto was a touchy subject for Kushina from the day she'd sold herself to the clan. Kushina got a tight around her mouth and eyes every time they saw the deceptively demure lady, and one of the four times he'd found his girl crying was a direct result of an interaction with the Uchiha Clan Headmistress.

He heard Kushina still and knew she'd been alerted that something was _off_. He prayed she'd _think_ before launching a barrage of kunai and opened the door wide enough to step through. He closed it behind him. Kushina was in too happy a mood for him to let _anyone_, especially Mikoto, ruin it.

Mikoto watched him watching her, and her eyebrow lifted elegantly in the expression of Uchiha superiority that was pounded into them from Day One. But Minato had practically _raised_ Kakashi, he had the Uchiha goofball and the Hatake outcast on the same team, and when Mikoto and Kushina had still been in that _stage_ before everything had gone _wrong – oh so wrong, and hang the clan and their stupid rules - _the Uchiha's unacknowledged genius had taken time to ensure her friend/rival could intimidate anyone with stone cold silence and the tilt of the eyes. Kushina didn't use it very often, but she used it enough for him to build a defense. He folded his arms across his chest and let his eyes cool, his jaw firm, and filtered enough charka to his eyes that they hinted of a _glow_.

He heard, or felt, really, Kushina move behind the door and made sure to lower his voice. Mikoto's eye flickered to the door but she didn't feign ignorance and conceded to lower her voice. She didn't meet his eyes. "I want to talk to Kushina."

Minato only watched her, unsurprised. She certainly hadn't come to see _him_. "Why now? Why after all this time? I don't want to have a crying girlfriend, Mikoto, and you lost the right to call her friend when you…" Mikoto's pained look stopped him, not because he was surprised she was hurt. No, anyone who broke off friendship with someone as bright and friendly as Kushina would be hurt. He was surprised because the ice queen was showing it. "You're here to… apologize? Reconcile maybe?" It wasn't really a question. Everything he knew of politics rang the warning bells loud and clear, and Minato's eyes flashed. "Don't think that because she's dating the next Hokage the Uchiha Clan will get a foot in the door."

"If I were here for _that_ we would have already thought to but Obito on the future council register. I…I just want to talk to Uzumaki."

Mikoto's neck stretched as she lifted her chin defiantly, but the flash of pain in her eyes could have been real. Could have been. He'd seen far too much backstabbing in the Hokage Tower to trust it. But it wouldn't be good to show all his cards, for her to realize that the young Namikaze wasn't as _naïve_ as he'd led the council members to think. If she was lying, Kushina would be crushed, bruised like a trampled leaf. On the other hand, it was an opportunity that he wouldn't get again, to get someone on the inside, someone whose insight would be invaluable. Someone he could use. Was it worth risking Kushina?

The choice was taken from him when Kushina opened the door and held it wide. "Mikoto, come in. I'll be right with you." When Mikoto disappeared behind the closing door, and he was beginning to think that they were overestimating the soundproofing properties of wood, Kushina lifted herself to her bare tiptoes and whispered into his ear, "You're the Hokage now, Minato. You're going to have to use _everyone._" Then she kissed his cheek and drew back, smiling. "But thank you for not leaping at the opportunity."

Minato didn't do her the discourtesy of pretending ignorance, but nodded his head and turned away. "Be careful."

"Never."

And she smiled.

* * *

"You know, this kind of reminds me of when that one Uchiha girl ran around with the Uzumaki kid."

"Really? I don't think I've heard that one." Laugh.

"No – it's not a joke! I remember her! A few years ago, there was this Uchiha girl who used to come around here with Uzumaki – Kami-sama! I forgot how they used to tear around here like chickens with their heads severed off! I wonder what happened to her."

"Maybe the clan got to her. You know how _they_ are."

* * *

Lee peeked around the corner and tried to be inconspicuous. It was a challenge since Gai-sensei had never valued the importance of sneakiness. Well… not discrete _information _gathering sneakiness, at least.

But Lee was on a mission. It was a simple mission but an important one, and it was a _mission_. Naruto had gotten fed up with the politicians, and with his father's upcoming appointment to the Hokage position, Naruto figured there'd be no better time. He figured Minato could handle the inevitable suspicion, and if Minato couldn't Lee figured Namikaze didn't deserve the honor of the Hokage Hat anyway. But he wasn't worried. Gai didn't give true esteem lightly, but he had talked gravely about the Yondaime's skill in the political arena, the battlefield Gai-sensei had made a point of warning Lee about while training Neji to sidestep the unseen traps within the traps _around_ the traps that concealed the triggers to conspiracy.

Nevertheless, Lee had picked up quite a bit when listening behind the bushes. Looking back he realized that both Gai-sensei _and _Neji had allowed him to eavesdrop, but at the time he'd been so _proud _with his successes.

Lee looked around and discretely thumbed up. Even though he couldn't see Neji, his friend being five hundred feet away, on the other side of the buildings, he knew Neji had an eye on him at all times.

He stopped in front of Councilor's apartment and "dropped" the stack of "very important scrolls." As he scrambled to pick them up, drawing the eyes of the invisible guards, Neji crept into position. Lee fumbled with the last scroll, and yelling about the joyous recovery of youth, darted away.

He didn't look behind to see Neji wander into an alley, walk up a wall, and get a helping hand from Shikamaru to translocate himself into the house, not even leaving a chakra trail behind.

Entering a Ninja's home was both easier and more difficult than a civilian's, whether it be a king of pauper. On one hand, it was expected that all important messenger, visitors, guests and such and such would enter from the window six times out of ten. No ninja ever thought of setting traps on every window, because did they _really_ expect their guests to walk up four, five, six sets of crowded steps down hallways where there were no easy exit? While leaving a barred window was certainly a security breach it was such an integrated part of culture, that when the Mizukage demanded that every single door, window, and hole in his home be barricaded and pasted with every exploding note and razor wire his considerable salary could buy, it was considered the greatest scandal of the year. He was still regarded as the most paranoid of Kages, and therefore, the weakest.

On the other hand, this hint of vulnerability in the powerful was often cleverly weaved into a powerful defense mechanism.

Less than a mile away, Ino leaned further over the desk, head thrown back with laughter. The guard was so enamored the poor fool had already forgotten his training. No wonder he guarded such a inconsequential desk. She missed Sakura so fiercly, right now. It was so hard to act casual without her disapproving presence at her shoulder, urging Ino to finish up, and therefore smoothing away suspicion. The eyes of the room were on her, exasperated, suspicious, calculating. This tactic was so familiar, taught to the kunoichi early in their elementary years, long before the girls actually knew what crossing their arms tightly across their ribcage actually _did._

These men, no, boys, must have skipped the male shinobi's version of the lecture, like how to detect the kunoichi through the other distracting women.

The men around them, though, clearly hadn't.

But they weren't looking at their monitors, too focused on the danger in front of them to worry about what could be happening at the dear councilor's home. One man started to turn, and Ino casually reached over to adjust a piece of paper on the desk, as if she were shifting for information, while fluttering her eyes up at the boy – geez, was he even legal? Attention snapped back to her so quickly the hairs on the back of her neck rose.

Office ninja were so easy to predict it wasn't even fun.

Back at the ostentatious apartment, Neji stood still, moving only when necessarily, and only an inch at a time. He touched nothing, simply let his eyes roam through the desks, the hidden walls, the seals that were weaved into the tapestries and painting and ceiling, searching for the incriminating evidence he _knew_ was here. Politics were always so convoluted in wartimes and _everyone_ kept secrets. I didn't kill this Iwa-nin because he's actually my half-brother, did I mention that the reason I'm alive is because the woman I'm dating was in the hunting party, my son was in that village and the reason I was out of position was because I was getting him out before the bombardment…

Peacetimes wreaked havoc for wars.

Neji smiled. _A-ha… there you are._

This would be perfect, especially since the good councilor had it surrounded by incendiary seals. And below that… _I'm sure the Hokage would be _very_ interested to know his tactician is having a tryst with the Tsuchikage's niece and feeding her information to keep her away from battles. I'm sure his wife won't be happy either._

Neji retraced his steps, erased his chakra signature, and slunk out the window, depending on his friends to cover his retreat.

_Things are _finally_ coming together!_

As he slid down a drainpipe, he couldn't help but think that things would have been so much easier with Shino around.

* * *

Kushina poured the tea, her hand as steady as if she was pouring poison. Mikoto hadn't said a word since Minato had left and the silence was driving Kushina mad. But she wasn't going to speak first, not by the Shodaime's black hair. Mikoto came all this way, Mikoto could start off.

Mikoto picked up her small tea cup and sipped. Slowly. Set it down. Adjusted the placemat. Picked up her teacup. Sipped. _Slowly_. Set it down. Repeat. The third time Kushina refilled her cup she was quivering with barely restrained resentment. How could she have forgotten that Mikoto _always_ did this? She _always_ let someone else make the first move so that she could use their efforts to her own advantage. Kushina resisted the urge to hiss, and set down the tea pot so hard it cracked a long spidery line up the side. "Fine. What is it?"

Mikoto raised an eyebrow and gently set her teacup down. "You are as subtle as always, Kushina."

Kushina's eyes narrowed. "No games, Mikoto, or I throw you out on your perfectly dolled up face." Mikoto's eyes flickered up, skeptical. Kushina scowled, "Don't think I can't do it. You've been off active duty for eight years. _I'm_ still sharp."

"Very well," Mikoto folded her hands in her lap and clutched them until her knuckles turned white. "This is harder than I thought it'd be." Mikoto took a deep breath and slid to the side of the table. She lowered her forehead to the mat. "Uzumaki Kushina, please save my son." She stayed bowed as Kushina's chakra blazed with shock.

The stunned silence that followed was charged with emotion; disbelief and suspicion from Kushina, fear, trepidation, and humiliation from Mikoto. The darker woman's back became tenser as the seconds turned into a minute. Finally, Kushina gasped a ragged laugh, pushing away from the table. "Is this a joke?" Kushina stared at her former friend.

Mikoto's head shot up. "Have I ever humiliated myself, Kushina? Ever?"

"It's not a joke." Kushina's breath rushed out as she pushed a clawed hand through the hair on the crown of her head. "You're serious. Shodaime's blue painted brother. You're serious." She collapsed on an exhale. "Get up. It's weird to see you… that way." Kushina shook her head. "All the times I dreamed about getting you to bow your stiff neck, I never imagined it like this."

Mikoto straightened with the pained dignity of the proud. The women studied each other, years of rivalry, hate and love, and bitter disappointment and betrayal lingering in the air. "I need your help, 'Shina-chan." Mikoto said quietly. "There are things… things happening in the clan that… they want to take my son from me, and I just found him. I can't let him go back to being…" Mikoto's mouth clicked shut.

"Why don't you start from the beginning," Kushina suggested. "And we'll go from there."

Mikoto laughed. "Where is the beginning? Everything's so convoluted I can't even tell anymore. It's a mess." She breathed deeply. "Who am I to betray, my clan or my village?" Kushina had never known Mikoto to be melodramatic, so the knot that formed from her intestines was only secondary to the bile that climbed up her throat. "I guess it starts six years ago, when Councilor Uzzai proposed the orders that resulting in the Uchiha moving to the compound…"

* * *

Ino was escorted around town for the next few hours. Her tail followed her to the market, to the caravan, even to lunch. He was good, she gave him that, but then she wasn't really trying to lose him. Neji had to get away. Therefore, Ino had to be followed.

Shikamaru crossed paths with her once, a small nod and twitch of the mouth relieving her of the boulder in her stomach, and her tail split to follow him. Shikamaru would notice. He was too observant, especially since he'd failed to predict…

Ino flinched and pretended she had a stone in her shoe. No doubt her follower would think it some mysterious code. _Interests rates on gold are low, _perhaps? There'd been nothing of import on the poor chunnin's desk, so they'd probably give up in a day or so.

A few women stopped to ask about the new pottery from Sand. Ino chatted and haggled, and left with the promise of a few more coins.

She imagined she could have gotten a lot more if Sakura had been beside her, scowling in fake disapproval and hiking the value of the items up in the eyes of the buyers.

* * *

Naruto worried his lip, bit the nails on his right hand to the nubs, and resisted the urge to rush down the street screaming for Neji. He was fine. Shikamaru said he got out fine. So he was fine. Hinata was playing with Shinsei, but the slight slowness of her movements told him her eyes were gazing far away. She was keeping an eye on him, and Hinata would not be shy about letting Naruto know if Neji was in trouble. Therefore, Neji had to be fine. It should have helped, but it didn't.

4 seconds from the councilor's house to the alley.

7 seconds from the alley to the opposite street.

Five minutes from the street to the Weapons District 5.

Fifteen minutes to Food District 1.

12-20 minutes from Food District 1 to home, depending on the traffic.

He was thirty minutes late.

Caught? Sidetracked (unlikely). Detour? Naruto started on his left hand and decided he couldn't wait any longer. "Shinsei! Would you look for Neji for me? I need him for… something." Hinata glared at him, but Naruto ignored her. It was taking him too long

Shinsei looked relieved, so Naruto guessed he was anxious too. When he disappeared into the crowed, Hinata glided over, her voice politely questioning. "I had my eyes on him. He's fine."

"I know." Naruto grinned at her. "He's always fine." Hinata's frown was hidden by her blindfold, but Naruto felt it all the same. For a moment, he felt the urge to tell her that _he_ was the leader, so she should just mind her own business, but he squashed the impulse as soon as it arose. "Even the Byakagun can be blind, Hina-chan. No one can see everything."

And they had to be able to see everything. The political situation in Konoha had worsened. The council was not _stupid _no matter how shortsighted and corrupt its members could be. They were grateful for the Caravan's help in subduing what would have been one of their worst defectors, but they were also aware of how powerful Orochimaru really was. That the caravan had dealt with him with just one loss had opened the eyes of those who'd still been clueless about the Caravan's _real_ training. It didn't help that they'd lost some of the favor of the current Hokage. Hiruzen was a good man, a smart man, but he was still emotionally invested in his students. The fact that they'd killed Orochimaru when Sarutobi had let Orochimaru go… stung. The Caravan presented a security risk for more reasons than one, especially since _no one _missed Uchiha Itachi's involvement with Caravan affairs.

Uchiha Fugaku hated Naoki's guts and wanted nothing more than to expel him from the village if not kill him outright. Council had never really forgiven Naoki for his behavior in the business meeting way back when the Caravan had first negotiated their contract. Ukitake Koharu and Mitokado Himura followed Sarutobi's lead and trusted their old teammate's judgment. The newer blood, however, like Councilors Uzzai and Omi were power hungry and corrupt. Uzzai had never even been a shinobi, but was rather part of the civilian liaison group but this made him doubly dangerous. The underdog always fought dirty after all.

The slightest slip, the slightest lapse of judgment and the council would be raining down fire and brimstone on their thinly protected heads. What they needed was leverage. Leverage and information that Neji was trying to get to them, leverage that – if Neji was caught with – would have them running from the hounds of hell.

Hinata shook her head, but brushed her fingers across the back of his hand, understanding. Sakura's death lingered over every paranoid decision now. "I'll tell Chouji to start heating the food. They'll _all_ be back soon." She paused. "And it looks like we'll have guests. Shinsei ran into Kakashi and Obito." She turned to walk away and stopped, surprised. "Oh."

"Oh what?"

"Ka…Katashi's coming."

Naruto's shoulders tensed, then relaxed, "That's a relief."

Kakashi – the older, more jaded Kakashi – had taken to disappearing especially at times when the whole group was gathered. Kiba of all people had shed some light on this. "It's like in a pack. When it's just two dogs of a pack, you don't notice one dog is missing. When it's the whole pack… it's hard not to look for the one that's not there."

Naruto had his own theories too. Theories like guilt, and a memorial stone that was devoid of many, many names, of failure, and the suppression of sorrow.

"It'll be good to have the group together again." Naruto said quietly.

He didn't think Hinata would hear him, but when lunch was served there was one steaming plate at an empty seat.

* * *

Minato opened the door as quietly as possible. The house was dark and it was late enough for even Kushina to be in bed. He'd meant to be home earlier, but Councilor Omi had called him up to discuss some new regulations in regards to Shinobi-Civilian crimes that would have waited till tomorrow, but since he was here _anyway_, and then one of the paperwork ninja had hauled him off to finish writing some orders and signing some documents, and then Hiruzen had hefted the construction paperwork on him – and when had he started calling the Sandaime by his first name? Probably sometime between the seventh and eighth transfer of responsibility. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio had stumbled across him when he was making his way home and he'd been too brain dead to manufacture an excuse _not_ to go drinking. And really, after the day he had – who knew every building had to be checked every three years, and that you needed to sign eight pieces of paper for every check up of every floor? – he didn't really want to find an excuse anyway.

He liked the trio. They were a lot more lighthearted and a _lot_ less crazy than most of the jounin he ran across.

But one drink had let to another, and before he knew it, he was stumbling home at one thirty in the morning. He felt guilty about it too, but he knew Kushina wouldn't mind. If something had happened with Mikoto, he knew he was guaranteed a visit no matter where he was, no matter what meeting he was in. He walked through the kitchen and stopped in the doorway. It was a mess. The cake batter was still splattered across the counter, the rest sitting unfinished in Kushina's usually gleaming mixing bowl. The flour was still out.

Frowning now, he walked into the living room and snapped on the lights. Kushina was sitting on the couch, staring at her hands. She was rubbing her fingers together. Minato felt very, very sober. "Kushina?" She didn't answer, didn't even blink. Minato walked over to crouch in front of her. "Kushina," he repeated, quieter this time. Only when he grabbed her hands did she look up.

"Minato?" she blinked. "Why are you back so soon?"

"It a quarter to two."

"In the afternoon?"

"In the morning."

Kushina twisted to look out the window. "Really? Already?"

Minato's frown deepened and he pulled his bemused girlfriend to her feet. "Okay, time for bed."

"Wh-what?"

"Bed. Now."

"But I have to talk to you—"

"Talk in the morning." Minato pushed her into the room and only released her to pull back the covers. He guided her to sit down then squatted to undo her sandals. The fact that Kushina let him was more worrisome than her absent minded state. He was going to _kill_ Mikoto in the morning, clan immunity be fed to the Mizukage's pet shark.

Kushina slapped his hand away from where he was changing her into a nightshirt and finished dressing herself. He tucked her in and snorted at the irony. When he'd walked home, he'd cringed at the thought of Kushina helping him. He certainly wasn't cringing now.

His girlfriend started. "Wait, what? How…Minato, we have to talk."

"Talk later."

"No, we have to talk now." Kushina sat up and pushed the heavy blankets off her to free her feet. "Listen to me." Minato sighed. Of course she would be stubborn. Kushina, correctly interpreting his silence as acquiescence, pulled him down beside her. "Mikoto came to… to beg me to save Itachi—"

"What?"

"From the Uchiha clan—"

"_What?"_

"That's planning a coup."

"…_**What**_?"

Minato sat back and tried to catch his breath. Kushina continued ruthlessly. "The main points of their attacks are going to be the council members, the ANBU, and the Hokage. They were going to have Itachi enter ANBU. They wanted him to gain the confidence and influence, and then when he had enough trust, he'd help them in their revolt. They'd kill the heads of the clan with the council, then move on to the clans themselves. They'd start with the Hyuuga and work down to the Inuzuka. Minato, they have _poison_ _gas _specifically engineered for the dogs. Oh, and have I mentioned this is all the result of Councilors Uzzai, Eigo – you know, the son of a pig councilor who wouldn't let me get an apartment 'cause I was from Whirlpool? And Chief Tactitian Haifu, to name a few." She giggled. "Haifu and few! It rhymes! Anyway, they started it all with their narrow minded, shortsighted bigotry and prejudice. Almost serves them right! Oh and by the way, what promoted Mikoto's big "revelation" was Itachi's explanation of why all girls are crazy. Smart kid, yeah? …even if his mother is insane."

Minato got up and headed for the bathroom

"Minato?" Kushina called. "What are you doing?"

Minato didn't answer and ducked into the shower; he turned the cold water on full blast. He had a feeling he had to be a _lot_ more sober for this.

* * *

Morning arrived too soon and not early enough. Itachi bounced out of bed as soon as the first streaks of dawn crossed his windowpane. He hit the ground running.

Out the door, down the hall, out the window to avoid Dad, up the drainpipe, across the roof. Down the roof, into the courtyard. Hide behind the fern from Aunt Aoi. Duck around the corner, leap to the ceiling to avoid cousins numbers 18, 29, 3, and 42. Dash across the rafters, leap to the roof, and jump over the wall. Home free.

He waved at the startled chuunin on gate duty as he dashed away.

The village was just wakening, the air still cool and the grass still soaked with dew. By the time he'd made it half across the park that served as one of his shortcuts, his sandals were soaked and his pants were wet to the knees. Occasionally, he'd wander across some drunk ninja or a civilian stumbling home from a night painting the town. Chu Bakery was just rolling up its iron grates when he dashed past, the chubby baker's wife waving a cheerful hello. He waved back. He ducked and covered when he passed the Tam Odds'n'Ends corner shop, but Tam-san wasn't up yet. Her husband just winked. Itachi figured he was glad to get rid of the florescent pink tiles, the watermelon green walls, and the polka dot striped door.

He dashed through the playground, practicing his balance on the swing frame, and skidded to a halt right at Team Minato's training grounds. Kakashi and Shinsei were already there. Kakashi leaned over to look around Itachi. "You didn't bring Obito."

"Was I supposed to?" Itachi deadpanned.

"If you want to leave before high noon." Kakashi sighed and flopped down Indian style. "Might as well go back to bed."

Shinsei scowled. "Are you kidding me? You know how hard it is to sneak out of the wagon? Tsuki-hime may be blind, but she sees _everything. _Not to mention, Katashi's decided to stop his disappearing acts." Kakashi stiffened, but the other boys didn't notice. Itachi tilted his head, curious.

"Really? Where's he been going?"

"I dunno. He's been weird since Haruko…" Shinsei trailed off. "Naoki hasn't said anything though, so I guess it's alright."

Itachi's mind clicked. "Wait. You snuck out _without telling _Tsuki! Kakashi, look! Kakashi, the world's ending!" Shinsei hissed and tackled Itachi. Itachi let himself fall and rolled over to pin his friend instead. Shinsei kicked up and returned to the top. Itachi let his eyes spin. The swirling _sharingan _froze Shinsei long enough for Itachi to wrap his legs around his neck. Shinsei hissed again, thrashing and swearing. He reached up and pinched Itachi. The Uchiha thunked his head in response, but Shinsei had _earned_ his former rank. He bent his back and threw his legs up. The kick hit Itachi in the jaw and stunned him long enough for Shinsei to break free only for Itachi to throw a fireball at him.

Oh, it was so on now. He wasn't supposed to use _jutsu_ in Konoha, or any village in fact. It was Forbidden, with a capital 'F', italics, and bold underlining. Sure, Kakashi knew, and Obito knew, and Itachi… Itachi was…something to Naoki, but it was still Grounding Worthy. Time for some intervention. He swung to plea to the "responsible" one of the group. And paused. When the sight finally registered, Shinsei burst out laughing. Kakashi was three yards away, up a tree, doing an admirable imitation of a cat with its back up. He was even sniffing the wind. "What are you _doing?"_

"No way Shinsei snuck out without that… that… _him_ knowing." Kakashi studied the undergrowth. "He's waiting for us to let our guard down, and when we do…" the silver haired boy shuddered. "He'll catch us. Torture us. And he won't be done until our minds are broken. He'll…" Kakashi shuddered. "Try to read us something out of that horrible book!" Itachi joined Shinsei in his attempt to bust a rib. "Laugh!" Kakashi snarled. "All you want! But when he catches you, you'll be sorry!"

"Whaaaaat?" Obito walked into the clearing still rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Who's going to catch us? Is Kakashi up a tree?"

All three boys stared at their friend. The shock made Kakashi slip an inch or two. "Why are you on time?" Obito blinked. "You're never on time!" Kakashi croaked twisting around to hide behind the tree trunk, only his head and an arm showing. He shook a kunai at the sleepy Uchiha. "You're really the devil in disguise, aren't you! Well, I'm smarter than that, you brute! You won't catch me this time!"

"Kakashi _is _up a tree." Obito shook his head. "Why is Kakashi up a tree? I'm still asleep, aren't I?"

Itachi and Shinsei just stared.

…Weren't _they_ supposed to be the insane ones?

* * *

Naruto was counting. Months, weeks, days. Then he counted again. Then again.

Finally, Kiba couldn't take it anymore. "What?"

"It was last night." Naruto answered partially hopeful, partially amazed, mostly disgusted.

Kiba rolled over. "What was?"

Naruto swallowed. "If everything went right, I was supposed to be conceived this week."

Silence in the wagon.

"Now that's just nasty." Kiba buried his head under his pillow. "Who thinks about that kind of stuff?"

"But," Naruto sat up. "Just imagine Kiba, if anything went wrong, if there was some council meeting, some random mission, some sleepover with friends, _anything,_ then nine months from now, I'm not gonna be here!"

Kiba's head popped up again, face pale. "You're right. That's deep."

That was when Ino threw a pillow at them, Neji politely asked for them to be much quieter at "Five in the Kami-cursed morning," Kiba yelled a few insults back and woke the rest of the wagon, and Hinata noticed Shinsei and Katashi were missing. The discussion was dropped in the ensuing chaos of daybreak.

* * *

Kushina curled around Minato, finally asleep. He wasn't so fortunate. His mind was spinning, turning and twisting as he figured out logistics, strategies, and ideas. The proverbial gold mine had just dropped in his lap, but it came gift wrapped in charged exploding notes. He could use this – would use this – but he had to use a light touch. The Uchiha clan was ready to explode and take the whole village with them. He had no illusions about the success of the Uchiha Coup. Despite the strength of their clan, they were no match for the fire of Konoha burning together. But the _fractures_ that would result from the attempted revolt would bring Konoha to its knees in weeks. A Hidden Village survived by preying on the weak. Not even their allies would rise up to help them.

But if Minato used this _right_ he could end up being the least harassed Hokage in Konoha History. _That_ was very tempting. Kushina shifted against him, her forehead resting against his collar bone. He reached up and gently ran his fingers through the long strands. When she nuzzled her face closer to his side, he let a small smile break through. A ninja learned early on to never let their guard down. They only truly slept around the people they trusted, which might include their genin team and family. That Kushina was neither but didn't wake when he moved showed Minato more about her feelings than anything. That she trusted him enough to let him sleep next to her, to tell him about the Uchiha plan…

Minato paused.

Now that he thought about it, there was one other person who an Uchiha would have gone to. Uchiha Itachi was very close to Naoki, and Naoki had been doing a lot of crazy, gossip inducing stunts with Itachi. And, from what Mikoto said the Clan _wasn't_ happy about Naoki and Itachi's friendship even _before_ Naoki decided to turn the clan heir into a prank master. Minato sat up. But Itachi continued on the association, despite the fact that the clan taught ultimate obedience before even the basic ninjutsu.

Therefore, Naoki knew and was trying to do something about it.

Minato sank back onto his pillow and resisted the urge to groan. This was going to be a _disaster!_

_

* * *

_

The boys picked their ways through the training ground, Obito and Itachi's sharingan activated to detect any traps or genjutsu. Finally, Kakashi drew to a halt. "I think this is far enough." He and Shinsei stood back to back, seals flying quickly. _. _The chakra barrier fell like water on glass and pooled around their feet. Shinsei let out a breath and allowed himself to tip over, confident that Obito wouldn't let him fall. It had been a long time since the former chuunin needed to use so much chakra.

"Okay, Kakashi," Obito stood with his hands on his hips. "Let's see the new Jutus and then let the battle begin. I am so gonna kick all your pretty little girl faces into next year. Hah! By the time you'll come around, you'll be too old and decrepit to even think about revenge!" Obito threw his head back and laughed.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "The day you beat me, dead last crybaby loser, is the day I agree to marry Maito Gai."

Obito paused. "Promise? Oh man, if it takes me until I'm thirty I'm going to see that happen."

"Baka, you won't live to be thirty. Only a _jounin_'s that good."

Obito glared at Shinsei. "Oh yeah? I've met a few chuunin who've made it past thirty."

"Really? Are they in active duty?" Itachi asked, curious. The only shinobi over thirty that _he_ knew were either Clan heads or working desk jutsu.

Obito paused to think. He brightened. "Kushina! Kushina's over thirty!"

"Better not let _her_ hear that," Kakashi muttered, moving away from the trio. "According to her, she's still in her prime."

"Besides," Shinsei added. "According to Ino and Shika, the only reason Kushina's _not_ on the Konoha Jounin register is because she's still listed as a Whirlpool Chuunin. By all rights she should have been promoted _ages_ ago, and she does the work of a jounin, be she has no one to recommend her."

Obito and Itachi stared at the white haired boy and Kakashi turned in interest. "How would _they_ know that?"

"How do they know everything that happens in _every_ village we go to?" Shinsei shrugged. "I swear they knew the Kazekage's wife was pregnant before _she_ did!"

Kakashi tucked that information into the back of his mind and returned to the matter at hand. "I assume Obito blabbed about Chidori at sometime or other?" Itachi and Shinsei nodded. Kakashi ignored Obito's embarrassed, "Hey!" and reached up to pull his father's White Fang from his back. "Minato-sensei instructed me never to use it in battle since my reaction time is exponentially lower than it needs to be to use it. After what happened with Obito and Rin two years ago I started working on another design using my father's knife. Minato took a look at it, but said I should try it out on some allies first."

"So we're your lab rats." Obito was already bored. "Let's just get this over with so we can get to the actual fighting."

"This is the actual fighting," Itachi intoned. His voice had already become the monotone drawl he was accustomed to using when facing battle. "If Kakashi is to test his creation accurately, the situation must be the same when it is equipped. In a battle."

"Which means, we'll have to make sure you go all out," a grin threatened to split Obito's face, "which means we don't have to hold back." Obito's expression was purely predatory. "Don't run home crying to sensei when we feed you your own exploding tags."

Kakashi snarled. "As if you could, dead last. I bet you won't even get close enough to _breathe_ on me until my final blow."

Itachi appeared at Kakashi's back. "Maybe he will, maybe he won't. But you won't just be worrying about him. I've wanted to try out a few of my new tricks for a while now."

The entire clearing stilled, then at some unheard signal the boys disappeared. Two figures reappeared high in the trees, Itachi's kunai and Kakashi's short sword showering the earth below with sparks. The boys reappeared down below, Itachi attacking from the front, Shinsei from the back. Kakashi fended them off, his sword redirecting Itachi's kunai, then fluidly cutting through the air to block Shinsei's knife from burrowing in his back. Kakashi spun through the air and landed a kick on Shinsei's chin, then used the opening provided to dart up into the canopy.

"Hey, hey!" Obito yelled charging downwards. "You won't figure anything out if you keep running away!"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed and his grip tightened on the hilt of his knife. Obito blinked and Kakashi was beside him, a stream of white from White Fang's blade his only trail. Obito ducked and swerved, somersaulting over Kakashi and spraying fireballs as he went. He rolled into the fading white line and yelped. Obito latched onto a tree and clutched his twitching arm. "Lighting trail?" Itachi flash stepped in Kakashi's path, and Obito's eyes widened. "'Tachi watch out! Its lightning charged!"

Itachi swerved, but Kakashi already had the short sword at his ribcage. Itachi's expression didn't change as he prepared himself for the hit. Kakashi's knife sliced through skin like a chainsaw through rubber, burning the flesh as it went. For a moment, Kakashi and Itachi's eyes met and Itachi dissolved into a flock of ravens. Kakashi felt relief for a brief moment and spun around to deflect a combined attack from Shinsei and Obito. Shinsei was holding back, whispering to Obito as they charged up the tree trunk and leapt at Kakashi from above and below. Shinsei was wearing what looked to be stone armor. Kakashi wondered if the boy had ever been taught that all elements had a weakness and stone's ran directly to lighting.

They met with a shower of light and stone.

Shinsei was propelled back, the blade of steel and lighting cutting through his defenses like… well, lighting through rock. No one had ever accused Kakashi of being a poet. Kakashi followed Shinsei in his freefall. Then Itachi was behind him. "Fuinrai!"

Kakashi dodged straight onto Obito's kunai. The cousins surrounded him, with Shinsei limping up from below. Kakashi let his eyes smile. Itachi's eyes widened and he backpedaled, motioning at Obito and Shinsei to back off. The boys didn't see and jumped straight into Kakashi's trap. He tapped his sword against a wire. The boys found themselves in a wire mesh, lighting skirting down and through the web. They yelled at the shock. Then they were Kakashi's at their back, kunai across their necks. "You're dead." The Kakashi's chorused. "Sit out."

Obito and Shinsei exchanged peeved glances and remained swaying from the treetops.

It was Itachi vs. Kakashi. Kakashi would be lying if he said he wasn't excited. Itachi was a rare child. At seven, he was better than most fifteen year olds. His sharingan was the pride of his clan, and since the only Uchiha _Kakashi_ had ever fought against was Obito, who, needless to say was not a paragon of the all-consuming might of the Clan. The Hatake clan was a great clan who'd been overshadowed as the low birthrate and very high death rates took their toll. Meanwhile, the Uchiha clan, who spawned instinctively, grew in respect as they overcame the animosity that remained from the civil wars.

As a result, Kakashi had grown up with the desire to reclaim the title of Greatest from his nemisis, the Uchiha. So far, he had failed, purely because he did not count a battle with Obito as a valid measure of Uchiha strength.

He was very much looking forward to this, which was why his disappointment was so great when Minato appeared, shoved his sword away from Itachi's neck, pushed Kakashi out of the way of Itachi's falling tree, grabbed both Itachi _and_ Obito and darted away with a quick apology. Kakashi glanced at the still hanging Shinsei and threw a kunai in frustration.

Then Minato was back again, a thoughtful look on his face. "Actually, I think you should here this too, Kakashi. Shinsei…I'm sure you'll hear the details from Naoki, so you might as well stay. Itachi, Obito. We have to talk." Minato looked upwards. "Katashi-san, I assume you'll be listening in? If you want to join us on the ground…"

The older man dropped down out of the trees. Kakashi blanched white to match his hair and darted behind Obito who tried to share an amused look with Itachi, but his cousin stared at the ground, pale and stoic. Katashi walked up and crouched down in front of the boy. He squatted there until Itachi finally raised his eyes. Itachi's pupils were blown and his eyes flickered back and forth and he was swallowing spastically. Katashi sighed. "Minato-san, I am quite certain I know where this conversation is going to go. I know, as an outsider, I have to no right to interfere with Konoha law –" Itachi and Obito both became much whiter. "But please allow me to remain. I would prefer for Naoki to be here, but I realize you don't have long."

Minato nodded and sad down on the stump from Itachi's tree trap, though he paused to remove the trip wires and exploding tags.

"Alright. Let's talk."

* * *

TBC…

For those who guessed that Naruto would seal Kyuubi back into himself… Where were you when I was writing my outline? That would have been… fantastic! And it wouldn't have even been weird considering Manga chapter 503. What I have planned seems so… Anti-climatic now. Sheesh. Maybe I'll change it up.

Who's been keeping up with the latest Manga Chapters? All I have to say is Naruto's parents are more Awesome than I could have depicted them. And Tear Jerking. Good grief, I nearly cried so many times in the last chapter.

I think I mentioned earlier, but I lost my outline (my two page, fine printed, webbed outline that took me _FOREVER_ to draw T.T) that had pretty much everything important so I'd remember it when descending down the bunny trails to Wonderland. I remember what I wanted to DO but I don't remember how I got from points A to F to Z, if that makes sense. So, this story is probably going to end with a few unanswered plot holes, simply because I can't remember which string goes WHERE and how I was going to knot it all together, and I am quickly running out of time. I had a lot of things I was going to do – like develop New Kakashi's techniques since he no longer has the Sharingan, and develop Gaara's Arc… Anyway we're on the home stretch! I should have just three more chapters and an epilogue.

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I read every single one, even if I didn't have time to write answers to most of you. Thank you so much.


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